AT/D02 - Bridge

[GM-02]

As the bridge crew monitored the qoH, the core output began to drop swiftly. Then, on the side of the freighter nearest the Artemis, there was a quick buildup on a loop of conduits. Before anything more than just seeing it could happen, however, it exploded and vented its plasma directly towards the Artemis.

The ship rocked and shook, klaxons ringing, as the helm fought against Maxas-Darl's control, and the tractor beam immediately fizzled.

"Steady helm!" called out Jolann. "Damage reports!"

==Maybe this will get us out of the doldrums up here?==

[Omdor Jaein]

==Has it really been a month? Damn... Sorry guys!==

If his report made Captain Crawford nervous, she hid it remarkably well.  "I've found that desperation doesn’t really lead to rational decision," she said, before addressing the helm. A call from the chief of security painted a picture from inside the freighter that, while not grim, was about as crazy as most combat missions usually were. Jaein shook his head, remembering far too many boarding missions against smugglers when he worked system patrol before the Mars incident had brought him into Starfleet proper.

He continued monitoring the energy output, noting the levels continuing their slow build as the minutes ticked by. His vigil was interrupted, however, when the science officer spoke up.  “Captain, getting strange dimensional readings from the qoH," she was saying. "Half a dozen containers shielded against sensors in the cargo bay and something running the length of the vessel about 2 decks high and 4 meters across." 

She spoke for a moment more, before he noticed the scans pop up on his own console.  “Commander Jaein, have sent you the current sensor readings from the qoH. If you have any insights?”

He looked at it, seeing the empty space between the outer hull and the main habitable area of the ship. "Definitely a smuggling compartment," he said to her and the room at large, reflecting again on that career a lifetime ago. "I don't know what they're carrying, but that's an awful big space if all they wanted to move was something like drugs or alcohol."

Unfortunately, he didn't get any more of a chance to respond. He saw the core suddenly power down. "They got it!" he called out, just as the sensors began to show that this wasn't necessarily the unalloyed good thing he wanted. "What--"

That was all he got out. A series of conduits on the side of the freighter overloaded and blew, expelling a significant fraction of the core's power directly at them in a fairly focused jet. Prophets protect us, he thought quickly as he clung to his console desperately. Klaxons drummed into his head through his ear, and he tasted a bit of blood in his mouth - he had bit his cheek in the tumble.

"Steady helm!" called out the first officer. "Damage reports!"

Fortunately for Jaein, he kept the damage report screen easily accessible at all times while on the bridge, much less while they were in action. He pulled it up and consulted it to relay the information to the command team.

==Tag Devereaux==
==Oh GM, please forgive my inattentiveness; what damage have we sustained?==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

The chatter on the bridge had softened to a low murmur as the crew diligently worked at their assignments. Hally had always anticipated that these moments of waiting, not knowing, and expecting the unexpected would be anxiety laden, in fact she had been taught as much during her command class elective on mental wellness and emotional toll. What she didn't expect was just how sharply it would manifest.

It's the not knowing that is the worst part. When you are aware of a situation you can act, prepare and respond. Starfleet prepares its Command and Bridge Officers to be proactive; to anticipate moves ahead. When that is removed, well, Ambassador Spock said it best, “Insufficient facts always invite danger."

The Trill/Bajoran hybrids attention moved from the Viewscreen to her console and back several times. She could only check her readings so many times before the routine hung precariously on becoming mundane, something she couldn't allow to happen. She thought for a moment about sending a message to Lt. Grant's console gently reminding him that she could read and speak Klingon fluently, if there was a need, but then decided against it. She was the helmsman. Her job was to fly the ship, to keep it safe....not to...

Wait, what's that? Power flucua...

"Captain, I'm seeing..." she had just begun to announce as the qoH's conduits ruptured into a brilliant blast of jagged light.

The wave of superheated plasma bathed the Artemis instantly, wrapping violent tendrils of angered energy around glowing shields, pushing and pulling it like a childs toy. The ferocity of the impact tossed Hallowette from her seat, and she landed hard on the deck to her side. Luckily the emergency drills she had run so many times at the Academy took over and the small lanky curly headed Midshipman was  back in her seat before the action even registered in her mind.

"Steady helm!" called out the Denobulan FO "Damage reports!"

Slender pale fingers danced around the console in an effort to right the ship, Artemis' computers suggesting corrections which the young Officer accepted and denied instinctually. Again, her training took over, though the sudden roughness of the explosion was distinctly more jarring than any simulation.

"Yes..Sir..." Maxas-Darl said as she worked. 

=GM Input: Hally works to steady the ship as ordered. Is she successful? Any injuries sustained from her (very Trekish) tumble from her seat?==

[Tyra Crawford]

There was chatter about the contents of the vessel as Devereaux reported the cargo contents and the areas shielded from sensors. It seemed the indicators for smuggling had been correct.

"I don't know what they're carrying, but that's an awful big space if all they wanted to move was something like drugs or alcohol," Omdor commented, causing a slight frown to furrow Tyra's brow.

"I've got a couple guesses and none of them are good," she muttered, having pushed herself out of her seat as a bout of restlessness shifted through her muscles.

"They got it!" Omdor reported emphatically. "What--"

If he finished his statement, Tyra was none the wiser as the deck below her feet rocked and sent her forward. She managed to not crash into helms and tactical only because her hand locked onto the nearest railing but it still took her to her knee with a painful thud. She gritted her teeth as she pulled herself up, the tiniest bit of relief blooming as she assessed little damage to her knee.

"Report! What the **** was that?" She demanded as she shifted back to her chair. "What's the status of the freighter?"

As she waited for those answers, her fingers restlessly moved over her console. "Artemis to Calleja. What is your status and do you need evac? We've taken damage and are assessing."

== Tag everyone! ==

[GM-02]

==Omdor==

The damage was highly localized. The plasma jet speared Artemis under the saucer (which, due to the Vesta-class design, consisted of most of the ship) damaging deck 13 and 14 in addition to taking out the tractor beam. EPS relays around the Security complex were blown out and through several of the recreation areas, combined with a plasma fire in an unoccupied guest suite, which was all bad, but - except for the fire - wasn't anything particularly critical. Other decks were reporting minor damage, but nothing requiring engineering's attention.

==Maxas-Darl==

As she climbed back to her seat, she felt a twinge in the wrist of her off hand, but continued to push through. Her hand was working, and the pain was manageable for the moment. With the angle and location where the explosion had hit, it had thrown Artemis as if hit by a gust of wind; Hallowette was able to get the ship back under control and in position fairly easily.

The new problem was, since the freighter was unpowered at the moment, it also began to drift away, deeper into the nebula.

[Mara Calleja]

[Negative on evac.] Calleja sounded a touch out of breath but she replied quickly. [We’ve taken the cargo hold. 2 officers down, confirmin’ extent of their injuries in a sec. There’s a concealed tunnel here but it’s locked. If our Chief Engineer knows anyone good with locks, now is their time to shine before we break out the explosives. We also got a stowaway. Human male, fought with us. I’m gonna get an ID for you to check. Stand by please.]

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

"Report! What the **** was that?" 

The mood on the bridge shifted from a low level tense anticipation to full on engagement - the need to understand, respond and act overtaking all else.

"What's the status of the freighter?" the Captain asked evenly as she sat down in her center chair.

Maxas-Darl had just managed to settle the ship as the Captain demanded answers. Hally plugged away at her console, doing what she could to provide some insight for her CO, running diagnostics, checking for damage, ensuring that...

Owww... Ok, jai-stallaz, that smarts! A quick jolt of pain ran up her arm as she worked the console, and she realized the fall from her chair and subsequent recovery may not have been as graceful as she had thought. She flicked her wrist quickly up and down, a gesture born of a need to clear the pain, to answer it with something. She allowed a quick moment to massage it before she hit a particularly sensitive spot. Deciding that she was as likely to injure it further as to make it any better, she pushed the pain from her mind as best she could and went back to work.

In the meantime, CSO Calleja reported in, stating that the hard fought boarding action had finally cooled, though surprisingly, an unknown stowaway had been discovered. As shocking as that was, Hally's concern was with the reported injured among the security teams. They had won, but it sounded like at quite a cost. 

Just do your job Hals. They crew needs that more than your sympathy.

She recentered her attention on the situation of the Artemis. She had managed to settle the ship, that was primary. It was when she laid in the course to come back up alongside the qoH, that she realized her calculations were off. 

Wait. What? Something has changed...

She ran a query on the area surrounding the two ships, then the relative velocities of them both. The Artemis was virtually still, while the qoH was....not.

"Uhm...Captain, if I may..." she said, her voice harboring a slight hesitation. "The Artemis' propulsion took no damage, and flight ops is fully capable. However, It appears the explosion may have served to pushed the qoH away from us. Initial inertia scans show it moving away from us at a velocity of approximately 476 kph, though stellar winds within the nebula may begin to alter that."

Pale slender fingers (and a swelling wrist) danced over the console.

She further advised. "I've laid in a course to keep pace as needed, and will advise if local scanners detect anything within the qoH's immediate path."

==Tagarinos==

[Mara Calleja]

[Calleja to Artemis. Newcomer has ID’d himself as Nathan Ramius of Star Fleet Security. Says he has intel that he needs to share direct with the CO. Says you’ll know him. Your call boss.]

The chime indicated that the Security Chief was broadcasting from her suit camera. There was a faint pinkish tinge from where Klingon blood had been wiped off the lens, but anyone viewing the feed would get a clear view of the man claiming to be Nathan Ramius.

[Cassandra Givens]

[Givens to Artemis. Good news: the bridge is secured. Bad news: I need immediate transport to Sickbay for Ostberg, Loren, Mortimer and Pearson. I also am injured but I can remain until the situation is more stable,] Givens sounded pained and a little short of breath as she spoke.

[Tyra Crawford]

== Gonna move some stuff around for the sake of flow and pacing… ==

As Tyra waited for answers, she, once again, acknowledged that tingling sensation prickling the back of her neck. Something was wrong but frankly, something had been wrong since the moment her feet had left Earth. The roiling in her gut hadn't subsided upon her return to Artemis and while maybe it would have with enough time, the two sensations were combining to set her on edge, a restless energy surging through her that merely came out through the tapping of her fingers on her knee.

"Uhm...Captain, if I may..." Maxas-Darl reported, causing Tyra's fingers to pause mid-pattern. "The Artemis' propulsion took no damage, and flight ops is fully capable. However, It appears the explosion may have served to pushed the qoH away from us. Initial inertia scans show it moving away from us at a velocity of approximately 476 kph, though stellar winds within the nebula may begin to alter that."

She considered that for a moment before she turned to look at Omdor. "Do we have the tractor beam online to pull the qoH back in? If so, we need it tethered again."

"Midshipman, keep pace with it until we figure this out," she requested before her attention was drawn back to the freighter itself.

[Negative on evac.] Calleja sounded a touch out of breath but she replied quickly. [We’ve taken the cargo hold. 2 officers down, confirmin’ extent of their injuries in a sec. There’s a concealed tunnel here but it’s locked. If our Chief Engineer knows anyone good with locks, now is their time to shine before we break out the explosives. We also got a stowaway. Human male, fought with us. I’m gonna get an ID for you to check. Stand by please.]

Tyra's lips pressed together as she took the moment to pull the report apart piece by piece. "I know we're known for our affinity for destroying things but let's hold off on forcibly breaching the tunnel before we've exhausting all other means. Based on your stowaway, it sounds like, maybe, they're moving people but there's been reports of unstable weapons being transported and we don't wanna blow ourselves up over this bucket of bolts. Just get me an ID for your friend ASAP; none of this makes sense and we didn't Human on board when we engaged."

If the back of her neck had been tingling earlier, the hairs were fully standing up now as she worked to process this newest development. It was possible this Human male was merely one of the people being smuggled and had somehow exited the shielded area but that just didn't seem likely. No, something wasn't right and it certainly wasn't adding up.

"Grant, run a diagnostic on the sensors. How the Hell did we miss a Human life sign on that ship prior to engagement? Omdor?" she added, pointing the question belatedly at her Chief Engineer as well.

As luck would have it though, the punches just kept coming as Givens chimed into the current mess.
[Givens to Artemis. Good news: the bridge is secured. Bad news: I need immediate transport to Sickbay for Ostberg, Loren, Mortimer and Pearson. I also am injured but I can remain until the situation is more stable.]

"Are we within transporter range?" she asked no one in particular, knowing that she'd been laying orders out for the last few minutes without much break. She was losing track of who was currently investigating what and this seemed to just be getting messier and messier.

"Artemis here. Understood. Stand by regarding the transport; the Commander or I can relieve you, if needed, depending on how everything shakes up," she answered, casting a glance towards her first officer with an almost apologetic shrug as she began to meander back towards her chair.

She tried to muffle the sigh that escaped as she reached it and picked up her coffee. The coffee tasted cold and a little stale on her tongue but it was better nothing. She was just beginning to swallow the last mouthful, the one that had just a little bit of coffee grounds in it, when Calleja came back with further information.

[Calleja to Artemis. Newcomer has ID’d himself as Nathan Ramius of Star Fleet --]

The rest of Calleja's message was lost to Tyra over her own coughing as she tried not to choke and die on her coffee. Her free hand hit her chest in an attempt to dislodge the liquid from her windpipe even as she tried to wrap her head around the words she'd heard.

For a second, she was standing with her nose almost pressed to a forcefield as she stared hopelessly at her broken former Chief Engineer, two warm hands anchoring her by her shoulders to keep her from tipping forward with her regrets. The next, she was curled up in a chair in one of Cera's hidey holes, a cool glass of whiskey anchoring her in place as she recounted a tale of foolishness and good intentions to Nathan in a hushed, broken tone. And then, she was staring at what could have been a very worn, rugged and scruffy Nathan Ramius through a slightly pink tinged lens.

Except he wasn't suppose to be here.

He was supposed to be with Colso. That's where she had been assured he was when she'd tried to track him down after the Damian fiasco what seemed like ages ago but truly only a short time earlier.

As much as she would have liked him by her side with everything going on, she had conceded that the Crusader was the better place for him. Colso was by the book and Tyra trusted him to keep Nathan out of trouble, which was what he needed to do to survive this fall out. And yet…

There were two options: this either was Nathan Ramius and he clearly had let Ben have custody of their jointly shared brain cell, which was possible, or this was some sort of rouse. But it looked like Nathan…

And it looked like Torkav… trust your gut.

"Artemis here. Pass your earpiece to Lieutenant Ramius, please and keep the camera on for a second." Tyra waited until she saw the exchange occur before she spoke again. "The last time I saw you face to face, who did I tell you to contact and what did I ask you to say?"

== Tag pretty much everyone! ==

[Omdor Jaein]

Fortunately, the readouts gave him a quick rundown, and it wasn't as bad as they'd feared. He was about to call out the report, but events seemed to have overtaken him. The qoH appeared to have started drifting when the tractor beam shorted, as the helmswoman noticed. Crawford looked back at him, asking "Do we have the tractor beam online to pull the qoH back in? If so, we need it tethered again."

"Negative, Captain," he said. "Tractor beam is out of commission at the moment." He considered whether to append the rest of the damage report, and went for it, whether she heard or not. "Damage on 13 and 14," he called. "Security complex took the brunt, but I'm dispatching damage teams there now." He sent a quick message down to engineering as he talked, highlighting the issue though he was fairly certain they were already watching. "Got a plasma fire in one of the VIP quarters, unoccupied. Suppression seems active, but another team going there now." 

And as he had expected, he was interrupted by a new message from the away team. Evidently the Klingons were under control, but they had found a new person aboard, a human, who had helped them fight the Klingons. That was... surprising, to say the least, to everyone. The captain asked him how they could've missed it, but he didn't really get a chance to ask before the hits kept coming. Most of the bridge team was injured, and needed evac.

"We're still in transporter range, Captain," he reported - it would take a lot more than 450 kph to make that a problem, especially when they had been in tractor range just moments ago. "Signaling the med bay about their new patients." He hit his commbadge. "Bridge to medical: four to five more injured on the freighter's bridge. Transporters are available and ready whenever you guys are."

He heard the bridge comm click on with a new message while he talked, but then heard a sound he hadn't expected - Crawford choking on her coffee. He turned quickly, but she had already recovered, and he tried to pick up on what was going on, but couldn't tell. He could tell she was shaken, however, and her next order to the away team was very quiet, very still.

Deciding that it wasn't for his ears, he instead hit his own comm again. "Omdor to Han. Looks like you got it taken care of over there. Good work; do you need any assistance?"

==Tags==

[Nathan Ramius]

Nathan's voice was smooth, and tone matter-of-factly, as he gave his response.

[I was to reach out to Logan. The message wasn’t important, but I had to use the word Icarus.]

== tag Tyra ==

[Robin Mayfair]

The CMO's soft southern accent came as reply moments after.

[Understood, Bridge. Beam them over immediately.]

[Tyra Crawford]

There was the tiniest of noises as an infinitesimal amount of air was pushed between the hard line of Tyra's lips at Ramius' response but her expression remained readable in the aftermath. In fact, it was hard to tell if she'd even blinked in the wake of his confirmation.

"You have until my boots hit the deck over there to come up with a good reason for why you and that one brain cell of yours are on a Klingon ship in the middle of this **** show of a nebula. And it better be the best ******* story I have ever heard," the redhead ground out, her cold inflection only rising on the last demand. And then, she added, "And tell Lieutenant Calleja that it is in her best interest to can whatever argument she feels inclined to spin up."

The channel was closed with a jab of her finger on her console, certainly with more force than was needed. She was already moving away from her chair with all the tension and control of a prowling tiger before she directed her gaze back towards her Denobulan first officer.

"You have the bridge. I'm going to go handle this and relieve Captain Givens. Update me if things continue to deteriorate," she ordered, her tone just as cold and controlled as it had been for most of her rather one sided conversation with Nathan.

She didn't wait for the commander's answer before she stalked towards the turbolift, clearly not wanting anyone's opinion on the issue. As the doors of the turbolift closed behind her, those closest to the lift would catch the opening lines of a very frustrated mumble before it disappeared into the lift. "I should have shot him when---"

>> Transporter Room 1 >>

[Lucy Devereaux]

The plasma venting from the qoH was a shock, but not in hindsight all that surprising. Power had to go somewhere and it had to be the path of least resistance. Klingon smugglers transporting whatever didn’t seem inclined to finesse in engineering. The plasma had knocked out the tractor beam and started them drifting.

The discovery of the unexpected Starfleet officer was a puzzling record scratch. Tyra had that scary authority thing. Justifiably and the appearance of Nathan Ramius reminded Lucy how fundamentally frightening it was. She was glad that she wasn’t the current focus of it. That the Captain was willing to go over to the qoH to have a face to face was intense.

Lucy ran a diagnostic on the tractor beam. If they could safely re-engage that would be good, but it would doubtless require power to be redirected. That brought Deck 16 to mind. The EPS system was hinky down there. Not enough to be a direct problem, but working around it needed a delicate touch.

The damage on 13 and 14 made Lucy wonder if she should say something. She decided that she’d wait for the results of the diagnostic as she wasn’t intending to act without giving Commander Omdor results from the diagnostic. She was concerned that finding their way out of the nebula was going to be complicated by the current trajectory of the qoH.

== GM input request, what is the result of the diagnostic on the tractor beam? ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

Trailing the qoH had proved a fairly simple task outside of simple course corrections or minor adjustments caused by the Klingon vessels disruption of the nebula's high energy particles or occasional pocketed gas. While the drifting freighter had started off at a leisurely .5k kilometers per hour (Sol-3 standard time), it had begun to drift slightly faster and faster as the moments ticked by. The Artemis was perfectly capable of maintaining a pursuit position, and while the young hybrid Midshipman wasn't yet alarmed, she did take note that as the qoH's current drift integer increased, eventually the ships limited sensor's would no longer provide a safe enough cushion to see what they might be drifting into, at least in time to react proactively on behalf of the stricken qoH.

This train of thought, of course, was taking place as the Captain seemed to have a seething emotional outburst that seemed almost Bajoran like in it's intensity. Almost...

The junior officer knew better than to turn her head to watch. She wanted to, certainly, but despite Hallowette's many flaws, she leveraged what smarts her duel heritage had gifted her with, and just faced forward, her eyes on the viewscreen. She was especially glad she had stayed small and out of any errant lines of fire when she caught the last snippet of Crawford's rage...

"I should have shot him when..."

Kosst, she seems PISSED.

It took her a moment to register that the Captain's soothing presence, the same quality that had given Hally calm and confidence earlier, had quickly become something much darker - and that had caused the young officer to hold her breath without her realizing it, a sudden resurfacing of anxiety that she had thought securely stowed. Maxas-Darl took a moment to force herself to breathe again, even using the pounding sharp ache in her wrist to ground her in the here and now. Her thoughts eventually relented and moved from the Captain and whomever this mysterious stowaway was, (who was about to bear the brunt of...whatever had set her off) to again the problem at hand.

She glanced around the bridge, her curly auburn locks bouncing slightly as she turned her head. Grant had his hands full coordinating with Engineering (which also ruled out the...oh cool, the Chief Engineer is a Bajoran, I'll have to say hi when this is over...), and the Denobulan First Officer was occupied with taking over the Bridge. Finally her teal eyes settled on someone she figured could give her the insight she needed.

Hally had met Lucy, err, Lt. Devereux not long after she had come aboard during a chance meeting in the officers lounge. She hadn't gotten to know her well, but she felt comfortable enough in asking the science officer about their predicament. "Uhm, Lt. Devereaux, I'm trying to get a handle on how long we have in escort with the qoH before the ships drift outpaces our diminished sensor capabilities. I know you and Aeryn...err, Commander Miller were working on boosting them with the probes, but I don't have a good handle on what our capabilities are at the moment. If I send over the drift characteristics, can you cross reference them with your info, just in case?" Her pale cheeks blushed slightly at the sound of her voice, but she continued, "I figure we have a good amount of time before it becomes an issue, but I just want to be ready...if we can be...."

==Tags: Lucy, obviously. All others also==

==GM: I've inferred a bit from your other post that the drifting might increase. If this isn't so, feel free to correct. If so though, can you give a bit more specific info on how quickly the speed is increasing? Is Hallowette right to be a bit concerned about the situation in regards to the sensor issues?==

[Omdor Jaein]

The young ensign's voice came through his commbadge fairly swiftly.  [Han to Chief, they messed up their engines by rerouting their baffles and so we had a fun explosion but so far so good,] she said. [I have the engine shut down now, and while we’re spinning, it seems to be stable enough. I’m looking for anything that could tell us what the Klingon were doing to need that much power. They’re lucky they didn’t blow themselves up before we got here.]

He nodded, chuckling to himself despite the seriousness of the situation. "That's the truth," he told her. "You'd be amazed at some of the patch jobs I've seen attempted, particularly when they're Klingons and untrained." For a moment he almost started relating the story of a Klingon ship he serviced during the last bit of the Dominion War that had just barely made it back to port with a pair of torpedo casings doing duty as a plasma manifold and the interlocks completely disengaged, but he decided against it at the last moment. He could still hear the curses Chief O'Brien spat echoing through his ears today. "Just make sure that life support is still functioning, even if it's on batteries, and everything else is shut off. Then I'd report in to Lieutenant Calleja. Somehow I doubt we're going to get that thing up and running again anytime soon. Keep in touch, and if you need assistance, just call back." He tapped his badge and closed the channel.

For his part, with the diagnostic having reported the tractor beam being out of commission, Jaein started trying to think of some backup options. The first and easiest, as far as he could tell, would be to launch some shuttles to help hold it in position. He turned to the helm and the FO. "Do we have any shuttles on standby? If we could launch a couple, they could likely get a grip on it between them and help stabilize the freighter for us."

==Tags to all involved==
==GM Input on the shuttles? We have options, maybe?==

[GM-02]

Jolann settled into the command chair, trying not to let his discomfort show. He had been left in command before, of course, but he hated it when it happened, and having only been on Artemis for days he was even less sure than usual. However, he listened to the crew, and was pleased with their initiative. Not that he could let that show, either, and he kept his habitual frown on his face.

He was uncomfortable with the captain's display as she left, as well. She hadn't exactly left any doubt as to her feelings, only with what those feelings would mean for the ship. And he hated not knowing things like that. For a moment, he considered trying to get an explanation from her when she returned, but discarded that idea as well. He'd find out in time, of course. It was just a question of whether it would be before the crew did. He vowed to be prepared either way.

The helmswoman was talking with the science station, and he left them to that. When the chief engineer turned, however, he felt compelled to answer. "According to standing orders," he replied in tones implying the Bajoran should have been aware of this, "the shuttlebay has crews and shuttles on standby during any alert situation." He hit a control on the arm of the command chair. "Bridge to shuttlebay. Launch two shuttles. Their orders are to use their tractors to keep the Klingon freighter in position relative to Artemis until further notice." The shuttlebay acknowledged, and within five minutes the shuttles were in place and locking on.

==Maxas-Darl & Devereaux==

Unpowered, the qoH was simply drifting. Artemis, having been deftly piloted to match course and speed, was hanging alongside relatively motionless, though the pair of them were heading further into the nebula than either wanted.

A result of their drift, however, was that a gap was opening between the Artemis' sensor range and that of the probes. They were still within comm range, which let the Artemis see the probe's sensor feeds, but there was unreadable space between the edge of their zone and what Artemis was able to see. Moving Artemis back wouldn't be difficult, but would require coordination with the shuttles now holding the qoH.

==Devereaux alone==

The tractor beam was shot. The energy feedback had blown out several circuits within the device, and it was going to take at least several hours for a damage team to fix.

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

Time. No matter what, it always comes down to time. Too much and we are idle; too little and we are lost. The great challenge of life is, and always will be, time.

Hallowette sat quietly as the Commander spoke with Chief Omdor, the lingering discomfort left by the Captain's outburst settling uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach. Waiting on Lucy's calculations only served to heighten the feeling, the lack of time and knowledge of what might lie before the pair of errant vessels another layer of discomfort.

Hally knew something had to be done, and while she had every confidence in Devereaux's ability to give her a good answer, and if for some reason it was unclear to them, she was certain that Aeryn would help. The luxury of TIME though, that was where her confidence diminished.

The last few hours of her first bridge shift had been nothing like she had imagined. She had failed almost immediately, then managed to recover with the help of her training and the kind words of Lt. Grant. She had performed well enough since, but she cursed her inexperience, just as she cursed the rapidly throbbing pain in her wrist. She spared a glance to see her fair skin already beginning to bruise, though everything still seemed functional enough - but as she sat idly by awaiting the answer to her question, the pain ate at her, and mixed with the feeling in the pit of her stomach she felt helpless, especially as she watched the freighter tumble slowly over and over, drifting uncontrolled at the side of the Artemis.

"I've gotta get them stopped." she said under her breath. Her rank though, the fact that her overconfidence had already caused her embarrassment threatened her ability to act. She thought about looking to Grant, but decided against it.

She was the ship's helmsman. She had to act. The time to act was now.

"Shuttle team, this is Artemis flight control. I'm going to coordinate with you to get the qoH' slowed, then back to a position that is a bit more tenable." Hally knew the shuttle pilots well enough, in fact she had taken several alert standby shifts herself. If things had gone even slightly differently, it's likely it would have been her flying one of those shuttles, but today, she was in charge of the big ship, which meant she called the shots on how this would go down.

Hally quickly worked out a plan as the shuttles launched, vectoring the two north/south, and placing the Artemis in a way that the ships auxiliary deflector would clear any small debris and gas from their path and allow the shuttles to work unimpeded by the nebula's more abrasive characteristics. 

"Shuttle team, once the area fore of the drift is clear, you are free to slow the qoH' and bring her to a stop. Artemis will match speed and orientation. Once complete, maintain tractor lock and we will return to the following coordinates within the probe field."

==GM Input: Hally is trying to coordinate the operation to get the qoH' back into a more tenable position. Is she successful? Is the use of the ships lower powered deflector useful for mitigating any immediate hazards the composition of the nebula might pose?==

[Aeryn Miller]

An alert beeped, informing Deveraux that she had an incoming message from her Chief.


[Miller to Devereaux, report in, anything we can assist with?]


== Tag Lucy ==

[Aeryn Miller]

<< Science Complex <<

The sight that welcomed Aeryn as the lift doors swished open was one that the CSO remembered all too well. Only this time they weren't investigating a missing ship that had been found or going head-to-head with the Cardassians who had kidnapped Captain Crawford. That wasn't the only difference from when Aeryn had assisted Damian as Acting FO, and so it did feel a little strange to not see her friend and mentor sitting in the center seat. Pushing those thoughts aside, Aeryn stepped out onto the Bridge properly, taking in everything, from who was manning each station, and their new hopefully temporary FO in charge.

Aeryn acknowledged those who looked her way, the situation becoming much clearer now that she was there, including her friend Hally, who was busy coordinating a shuttle team from her place at the helm. Rather than just stand rooted to the spot, Aeryn carried on toward the science station where Lucy was sitting.

" I thought you could use an extra pair of hands," she said by way of explanation, rather than drawing attention to the fact she had sent a message to Devereaux. There would be time to talk about that later, as the CSO took over Science 2 and brought herself up to speed with what was happening.

The tractor beam was shot but Aeryn knew that would be down to engineering to deal with, not envying them as she imagined how long it would take to fix. However, it seemed as though a solution was in play before she refocused on the sensors and the probes that had already been deployed. " Am I right about the gap that's happened between us and the probes? I can see that we're still in comm range, but there's an unreadable space between the edge of their zone and what Artemis can see".

Again, this could be rectified if Artemis moved back, but that would need some coordination.

== Tags ==

[GM-02]

==Maxas-Darl==

[Acknowledged, Artemis,] came the acknowledgement from the lead shuttlecraft. It took a few minutes, but the crew was well-drilled, and with no immediate hazards (much less the weapons fire that their simulations regularly included) it was accomplished with little problem.

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy had mixed feelings about the projected length of time it would take to repair the tractor beam element of the array. She hoped she’d been worried about nothing. The EPS conduit of Deck 16 felt like something that could have been a problem. Engineering had it covered.

Lucy couldn’t think of how to reply to Aeryn. She took so long that Aeryn came up to the Bridge. She did help. Communicating with the nearest probe buoy. It was the best way to test if they needed to drop one more to see a little better in the nebula. If the nebula got thicker outside of the recognised route they hopefully had enough probes augmented.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander. Will check the nearest probe.

"The qoH has been drifting uncontrolled. The Away Team succeeded in stopping the indirect attempt by the crew of the qoH to blow themselves and us up. There was a plasma burst that wrecked our tractor beam. Diagnostics say it will take more hours than we have.”

Lucy sent a query to the nearest probe for a scan of the area. It made sense if there wasn’t enough detail they’d need to drop another probe. Better sooner than too late. With Lucy’s hesitation she didn’t want to be too late.

== GM input request, is Lucy able to access the nearest probe buoy and how far is the Artemis from the edge of the optimal scanning distance of the probe buoy? ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

[Acknowledged, Artemis] came a familiar voice across the ships comms.

Ensign Ayan Amir must have been piloting one of the shuttles. That meant that Dorano, Craver, and Terrell were the on duty flight crew. Hally knew them all well enough, though she hadn't flown with any of them but Amir. He was a good pilot, by the book, and consistent. She never got the impression Ayan was particularly ambitious, but he was thorough, and that was what was needed right now.

Hallowette monitored the shuttle crews progress, adjusting Artemis' attitude and deflector screens as needed, but she had to admit, there wasn't much she had to do. The shuttle crews were well drilled, competent and efficient. It took little time for them to place the qoH' under their control and gently bring it to a settle. 

"Well done Ensign Amir. Well done team." she said with a barely contained smile. The thrill of actually coordinating the operation and seeing the first stage completed filled the lanky hybrid with glee. "Stand by for ferry coordinates." She couldn't help but look around the bridge as she looked to Commander Jolann. As she did so, her eyes fell on her friend Lt. Commander Miller. Hally had been so focused on the coordination effort that she hadn't even realized Aeryn had joined the bridge.

Hally's effort to contain her joy burst free as she saw the CSO, her smile broad and proud. Aeryn had been one of the first on the ship to truly make Hallowette feel not just welcome, but valued. The realization that Miller of all people may have been there to witness her first meaningful act as a bridge officer brought a sense of accomplishment and pride she hadn't expected. Years of work, sacrifice and labor had led to this, and someone she cared about had been there - and despite the odds she didn't let her down.

Hally reigned in the emotion and she nodded respectfully towards her friend, the smile still hugging the sides of her cheeks. She continued to turn towards the center chair and finally met the gaze of the ships first officer. "Shuttle crews have gained control of the qoH' Sir. I'm pleased to report that all velocity has diminished to null/null, holding fast,, and we are preparing to return the freighter to a more stable position within the expanded sensor grid."

With her report made, Hallowette turned back towards the Science console and she addressed the duo standing there. "Commander, I must admit that I'm having a difficult time locating a lagrange point within our sensor net that might provide a more secure environment should anything further go...uhm...awry. Conditions within the nebula are..uhm...chaotic. Given the condition of the ships tractors, I want to ensure that the shuttles have optimal conditions to work in should the worst occur again." She turned her head slightly as she smiled a slightly sheepish lopsided grin. "Mind to give a girl a hand?"

==TAG Miller, Devereaux, et all==

[Aeryn Miller]

Lucy wanted to check the nearest probe, which Aeryn didn't have an issue with, as they all knew how things could change quickly. The CSO thought it would be useful, so they could rule out whether they needed another one deployed or not. There was also the matter of moving Artemis back to its original position or thereabouts when Lucy provided her with an update of what she had missed or rather confirmed some of the details she hadn't known, details she could have provided before Aeryn's arrival. However, the Commander moved past any potential awkwardness by focusing on the here and now.

" Acknowledged, and thanks for the update, we were monitoring what we could in the lab, and we'll just have to do what we can to help until the beam can be fixed".

It was then that Hallowette turned in their direction, having successfully stopped the freighter from drifting further into the nebula, listening as her friend spoke and made her request. Understanding completely what she was referring to, and why they had placed probes in the first place before, things had become a little more interesting. If she wanted an additional pair of hands to prevent the worst from happening again, then Aeryn was only too happy to assist.

" Sure, I can do that. You're right about the conditions being less than ideal. Lieutenant Devereaux is currently checking in with the nearest probe, but I also believe that things might improve some if we can move Artemis back, although that'll require some coordination with the shuttle teams currently holding our wayward freighter".

Whatever the solution, Aeryn was confident between Science, Helm, and Engineering they could find that resolution, and rectify the circumstances they now found themselves experiencing.


== Tags ==

[GM-02]

==Devereaux==

Lucy is still receiving the probe's telemetry, indicating it is in comm range, but an analysis of the signal shows that the error packet rate is much higher than desirable. Artemis was currently about 15 AU outside of the probe's range, and not far from the extreme edge of reception.

[Lucy Devereaux]

As always it was goodish news and bad slash worse news. They could still communicate with the probe which was over 15 lightyears away, but they were outside of its scanning range and almost at the edge of signal reception. It was odd to have travelled so far, but they had been chasing the qoH, then there was the drifting because of the inadvertent plasma venting.

“Lieutenant Commander, according to the computer and the probe we’re 15 lightyears outside the probe’s scanning range and quite close to the edge of its communication range. The error packet rate is a bit higher than is comfortable.”

Aeryn and Ju had been manually positioning the probes. Better to drop one now, but she hoped they had enough to get out of the nebula with the qoH in tow. The discovery of Nathan Ramius was a puzzle, but Lucy decided to leave that one to the senior staff. She did wonder if the qoH was meant to be on a schedule. Thoughts for another time or not at all.

== Tag. ==

[Lucy Devereaux]

== um, got my light years and astronomical units confused. ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

15 AU? That isn't too bad. Shouldn't be too difficult to get us back into a good spot.

Hally listened to Lucy report to her superior officer, and the hybrid waited for her to finish before she nodding to Aeryn, relaying that she understood as well.

She looked at her console and began to lay in a course that would place them back within the probes range, and hopefully in a bit more stable bit of the nebula. After a moment she looked towards the science station, and smiled warmly, "Thank you Lucy. Thank you both. I think I have a good solution."

She then absently looked towards the screen as she addressed the shuttle crews, a habit that was widespread amongst humanoid officers. For whatever reason, seeing who you were speaking to seemed more appropriate than just speaking at emptiness.

"Shuttle crews from Artemis Flight control." she said with what authority she could muster. Her husky voice sounded odd to her own ears, the authority feeling disingenuous, like an imposter, but she pushed through the awkwardness and focused on her job. "I'm relaying coordinates to the rendezvous point. This should place us well within the probes sensor field as well as grant us a reprieve from some of the nebula's 'weather'." She hesitated. Weather? Cmon Hals, don't be cute.  She then continued, "Artemis will escort. Shuttlecraft Cyrene, you have lead - Nice and easy fellas. Let's try to be gentle..."

==tags==

[Aeryn Miller]

Aeryn listened as Lucy gave them an update regarding the probe, confirming the distance between Artemis and the nearest buoy, which would help them immensely when it came to coordinating with the shuttle teams to bring them back to where they needed to be. Hally quickly acknowledged what she had heard, and that she also understood before thanking the two scientists, and revealing that she had a solution. " That's great, we'll keep an eye on things over here," she replied, returning to the sensors as Hally spoke with the shuttle teams and began the process of carrying out her plan.

That didn't stop the CSO from listening, grinning slightly at the term the pilot used for the nebula, and she supposed it was as good a term as any, considering the composition of the nebula.

" We should start to see things improve, now that we're moving back," she remarked to Lucy, while checking over the readouts. Still, she remained confident that nothing significant would happen and that communication with the probes would return to normal.


== Tags ==

== GM input, how does the move back go?, and does communication with the probes return within normal range? ==

[GM-02]

The move back towards the sensor buoys went about as well as could be expected. The distance wasn't insignificant, but it wasn't a difficult situation either, particularly with the multiple shuttles helping out. As Artemis got closer, the link with the buoy became clearer and clearer, returning to full as anticipated. There were no other vessels that popped up in range of either buoy.

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy checked to ensure that the telemetry from the probes was reaching navigation and the helm. Aeryn was right getting away from the nebula was a goal with their catch in tow. She couldn’t recall how far they had been meant to venture, but running into the unexpected was just something to take into account.

Aeryn was right as they got closer their last probe the responses became clearer. So far they had no additional company. Long may that continue. The matter of the qoH would need some attention, but long as they reached the Federation side of the nebula they’d have plenty of time.

“Lieutenant Commander, so far it’s just us and the qoH.”

It made a curious sense that their assigned path was a smuggler’s route. Running into the qoH was one of those oddities of causation. Was there something to all of it? It was a muddled path. Philosophy led to lots of questions and no answers. So many paths crossing. Lucy knew her mistakes were still her mistakes. A certain source of frustation for anyone around her.

[Aeryn Miller]

It was always fascinating to Aeryn to watch how things unfolded from a different viewpoint, not to mention how it felt to be there on the Bridge, which never failed to give the CSO a sense of accomplishment. While she could easily delegate from the Science Complex and had done this mission so far, she couldn't quite describe the emotions she was currently experiencing. Emotions that she was able to keep in check as she watched the sensors while Hallowette and the shuttle teams directed the Artemis and the Q'oh back to the ship's original starting point. Lucy was the first to speak, confirming out loud what the CSO had seen.

The fact that there were no other ships present was reassuring, as they already had their hands full with the Klingon freighter. However, if something untoward did show up, Aeryn did not doubt that the crew would be able to deal with it efficiently. " Acknowledged, sensors confirm that also, and that we've re-established a clear and full link with the already established sensor buoys".

For now, it appeared that the excitement was over for those present on the bridge, something that Aeryn welcomed, albeit briefly, because deep down, she never stopped enjoying the action and the adrenaline that came with it.

" Let's keep monitoring, I don't think it will hurt, as we need as much data as possible from the nebula".

Of course, that might change depending on orders and whether they would deploy the rest of the probes or not. Until told otherwise, Aeryn resumed her work. 


== Tags ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

[Task complete Flight Control, the baby is back snug as a bug in a rug.]

Hally furrowed her brow at her colleague's colloquial phrase. She finally felt accomplished at her duties, demonstrating that she might in fact actually belong on the bridge, and then that - over the bridge coms for all to hear.

Had Hallowette been more of a stickler for procedure, or perhaps  a tad less STOKED at not only managing to coordinate things, but better yet placing her new shipmates in a safer, more controlled environment, then she might have let the shuttle pilots quip irritate her. But Hallowette WAS STOKED. 

"Shuttle Teams, well done. RTB and redress standby status."

[Aye Sir, RTB.]

Hally had only been called Sir a couple of times since graduating. Once at a formal and very staged event at her commissioning and once by accident when a Crewman almost knocked her over while running to his alert station during preparation drills. Otherwise, all of the enlisted - the only crew on the hook to consider her a superior - by and large just called her Midshipman or Middle. Having a peer call her "Sir" felt good, even if she wasn't sure it was quite earned. 

She did her best to control her joy before she turned in her seat, glanced at Lt. Grant and then addressed the 1st Officer. 

"Commander, I'm pleased to report that both the q'oH and the Artemis are back and idle in a stable area of the Nebula. We are well within the Comm Buoy net, and no further damage was sustained by either ship during the ferry, and Shuttles are returning to standby."

Hally turned to the science station and a obliged expression crossed her face before she mouthing silently towards both officers there. "Thank you." She accompanied the sentiment by placing her hand palm down on her chin and gesturing downward, the UFP sign for thanks.

She then returned her attention to her station, sitting a bit more confidently in the chair as she resumed her duties.

==tags!==

[Cassandra Givens]

[Givens to Omdor. Can you step into the briefing room for a second?] Once she had confirmation that he had, she continued. [I've got a piece of tech here that you might be supremely qualified to look at. It's console of Dominion origin, maybe tied to a security system. Han is on her way up here to look at it but if you can tell me what to look for or come over here, we might be able to handle this quickly.]

[Omdor Jaein]

==Was beginning to feel left out!==

Jaein was glad to see everything going smoothly. He was a little bored, honestly, but he liked it that way. After all, if he was bored, then typically that meant that no one was shooting at them and blowing bits of his ship away. That's why you went to a shipyard, after all, he reminded himself. But then, it wasn't the same as being the chief on a starship.

He was about to get up and get a new coffee when his commbadge chirruped.  [Givens to Omdor. Can you step into the briefing room for a second?] 

Well, maybe that coffee isn't a good idea, he thought, but grabbed his cup anyway as he stood. "Sure, one moment," he replied, and then stepped off the bridge and into the briefing room. He stepped to the replicator and punched in a command for a glass of water as he told her to go ahead.

[I've got a piece of tech here that you might be supremely qualified to look at,] she told him. [It's a console of Dominion origin, maybe tied to a security system. Han is on her way up here to look at it but if you can tell me what to look for or come over here, we might be able to handle this quickly.]

She had had his attention anyway. Once she said 'Dominion', though, he forgot all about the water cup that had materialized as she spoke. He remembered working on some Dominion tech during the war, mostly captured bits and pieces, some wreckage they were able to salvage from battlefields. If they had working tech on there... and security related? Obviously it wasn't tied to any defensive or offensive tech, he thought. They would have put up a better fight if they'd had anything like that. But if it wasn't that, then what was it?

"Give me two minutes to get to a transporter room," he told the captain. "I'll be right there."

>>Klingon Freighter>>

[Lucy Devereaux]

Lucy tried to keep her attention on the information from the two buoys. As the Artemis made its way back to where they’d first run into the qoH the signal strength was improving. Aeryn had the sensors, so that was one set of eyes watching for unwelcome company.

The Computer’s last estimate on the repair of the tractor beam was around 8 hours. Odds were it would be a stay at a Starbase where they could hand over the qoH and whoever had had the sense to surrender instead of fight the Away Team.  The qoH was definitely a complicated little discovery. Lucy didn’t feel competent for that kind of mystery.

It seemed logical to give the buoys another nudge. Lucy wondered how long the buoys would run until somebody took offense at their presence. The qoH felt like the thin end of the wedge. Their actions didn’t give the impression of strategic thinkers. The tricky bit would be whoever they took orders from. Without something concrete it was a just filler.

== GM input request, anything new from the sensor buoys? ==

[Aeryn Miller]

Until something changed, Aeryn was confident that Lucy would continue to follow what orders that she could give her. As for herself, that also meant doing the same as her subordinate. While the move back to a more beneficial position had gone smoothly, Aeryn had a feeling that the crew had only just scratched the surface of whatever they had stumbled upon, and she wanted to be a part of unravelling all the threads connecting the Q'oh and her purpose for hiding in a nebula. She might have been focused, but it didn't stop the CSO from hearing Hallowette update their FO, noting the sense of accomplishment in her friend's voice before she thanked Science for their assistance.

Aeryn smiled in acknowledgement, before movement caught her attention and she saw Commander Omdor leave the Bridge. The redhead could only hazard a guess as to where he had gone; however, at the same time, it made sense if he was needed elsewhere. Their numbers might have decreased by one, but that was the nature of how things could change. Factoring in that small distraction, Aeryn then resumed her watch, her mind ticking over with thoughts and ideas as it usually did in these situations.

[Cassandra Givens]

[Givens to Maxas-Darl. I've got a task for you from the Cap'n. She wants you to try to trace where the Klingon vessel came from within the nebula. We need to determine it's origin, use the sensor buoys if needed.]

[GM-02]

==Devereaux==

The sensor buoys showed nothing new at the moment.

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

Hally's mind wandered a bit as she checked and rechecked the flight controls.

The Dominion. What's the connection? Could the Klingons be working for the Changelings, or could they even be Changelings? The freckled hybrid felt a chill run down her spine at that thought. Her father had worked with Starfleet intelligence during the war, in fact he was recruited to that by her mother. He had shared a few stories and she had read many reports during her Academy training. Klingons were one thing, but the Dominion was something else entirely.

No. It's not that. It can't be. This is just a team of Klingon criminals who traded for tech recovered during the war and who are up to no goo...

[Givens to Maxas-Darl. I've got a task for you from the Cap'n. She wants you to try to trace where the Klingon vessel came from within the nebula. We need to determine it's origin, use the sensor buoys if needed.]

Her internal musings were interrupted by a most unexpected event; a comm from Captain Givens to *her*.

"Aye Captain Givens, I'll get us some answers."

The chill from her hypothetical turned warm as excitement replaced it. 

"Uhm...ok, so...how do I trace a freighter that doesn't want to be traced and is using advanced tech that is unlike anything I'm familiar with...." she whispered to herself as she focused on the sensor data pouring forth. She recognized a fair amount of it, and she even was able to separate the data from the recent travels from their initial encounter, but she had to admit that this was probably outside her ability to do alone. Academy training was excellent, but she had somehow missed, 'Tracking Klingon smugglers utilizing alien tech through hojix soup while maintaining your winning smile -101'.

Her question ran out as a slight movement in her peripheral grabbed her attention. 

"Hey, uhm, Commander Miller, Lieutenant Devereaux..." she said a bit more sweetly than she had intended, "Uhm, can you give me a hand with tracking the qoH's movements?" She glanced back and gave them a sheepish smile, "This is a bit beyond my training I'm afraid." Her pride precariously close to breaking, she knew that her friend Aeryn would give her the gentle guidance she needed while helping her to not feel like a complete fool. "I've separated the data sets, and I'm narrowing down the plasma and radiation trail, but I'm having a bit of trouble resolving what is native to the nebula and what the smugglers released..."

==Tags==
===Science team - Hally is attempting to derive if the qoH' is using strictly Klingon sublight engines or is there evidence of Dominion type helical/ion activity. Another question: does the nebula disrupt Warp, or is it theoretically possible that the ship warped into the nebula directly==

[Aeryn Miller]

Nothing seemed to be jumping out at her, but then again, this was just the beginning of the next step in trying to understand the next step in unravelling the mystery presented to them. Then an epiphany came in the form of Hallowette, when the helm officer came to Lucy and her for help, specifically tracking the freighter's movements. The CSO listened as she explained what she'd been able to do and what she was struggling with, something that Aeryn understood. This was exactly why you reached out, as she had done with things she didn't know or to confirm hunches, etc, so if Hally needed assistance, then that's what they would offer.

" I appreciate you reaching out, Midshipman. "Let's see what we can find by checking the data we collected on the sensor buoys," she began thoughtfully as another idea came to mind. " It might also be worth checking the database and seeing if there's anything specific to this nebula that might help us".

Aeryn remembered the briefing, but a lot had happened since that day, and at the moment, she couldn't rule out double-checking previous information and referencing it against what had been found since. Since this was now a group effort, Aeryn hoped that Lucy wouldn't need further direction and trusted her officer to add to the search for answers.

== Tags ==
== GM input. Did the sensor buoys pick up anything related to the qOH, specifically the direction they could have come from? Also, is there anything relevant in the database about the Nebula itself that could be useful? ==

[GM-02]

The nebula is dense enough to prevent warp travel. The probes could still detect a combined turbulence/ion trail where the freighter had first been detected, and Artemis could get a bit more information from where it sat outside the probe's detection radius.

Between the data provided, a course could be set pointing back towards the heart of the nebula. However, it was dissipating, and they would have to act swiftly if they wanted to follow it.

==Assume that the helm can plot a course at best impulse towards where the freighter came from.==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

Hally ensured the ship was in a stable position before placing the helm under computer standby, and she left her seat to join Miller and Devereux at the Science station. As the lanky hybrid stepped across the bridge the space seemed different than it did a number of hours before when she had first entered. It seemed less intimidating, and to her credit, she felt like less of an imposter.

As the science officers poured over the probe data Hallowette stood to Aeryn's left, the smaller, boyish figured woman stretching awkwardly in order to see the console over the other redheads, eventually scooching closer so she could better see.

Silently she thanked her father's gods that she had gotten to know the pair before today. Had her time on the ship been any different, she likely would have felt much more self conscious in asking for their help - much less placing herself so physically closely. The familiarity, even new as it is, was pleasant. Also, she noted that Aeryn smelled nice, though she couldn't place the scent. She wondered if it was something Beka may have given her.

"So, what I know of the nebula's qualities, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to warp out of it, much less trying to even get a decent and accurate plot inside of it. So..." she thought, her husky voice trailing off as her thoughts coalesced, "...that means wherever they came from, it's likely a point within impulse ranges..." She looked at the data, listening as the science team discussed their findings. 

"Wait, that looks different...." she said quietly with a question in her tone, "Is that ion turbulence?" She pointed at a point in the probes data, "It's faint, Commander, but...could that be their wake?"

==tags!==

[Aeryn Miller]

The sensor buoys were proving their worth as the data Aeryn was looking for began to pour in, just as the CSO became aware of Hally's presence just to the left of her. Having her close by rather than having to call the information over to the helm made Aeryn smile softly as she analysed what had been provided to them. When Hally spoke, Aeryn understood the flow of her reasoning, as the probes confirmed that the density of the nebula prevented the use of warp, before the pilot asked a couple of questions regarding something interesting amongst the probes' findings.

" Yes, you're correct, that is a combined turbulence/ion trail that the probes have picked up," Aeryn replied softly. "And by the looks of it, we've caught it just in time, as it's already started to dissipate. So, if we want to follow the trail back to the heart of the nebula, then we'd need to do it now before we lose it".

Of course, it wasn't a decision or order that Aeryn could make, despite her increase in rank, which meant that she would have to defer to the FO, and given her proximity to the centre seat, she hoped he would have heard her. Still, Aeryn did her due diligence by turning towards the Commander to ask the question.

" Commander, given what we now know about the freighter and where it might have come from, I recommend that we return to the heart of the nebula before the ion/turbulence trail is lost".

Aeryn knew that it would be quicker to take the ship, but it also meant potentially leaving the q'OH behind along with the away team while they investigated this new lead. Another thing to take into consideration as she laid out the facts, not envying the FO at all right now.


== Tag Bridge ==

[Cassandra Givens]

As the turbolift doors opened, Cass settled her expression into a neutral set and tried to resist the urge to roll her shoulder again. She also tried to ignore the dull ache in her now set shoulder; while walking into the security office and volunteering to be a guinea pig for the medics had been the expedited way to get her shoulder to a usable state, it hadn't been the pain free or permanent solution. It was, however, the one that had her returning to the bridge as quickly as possible.

"--faint, Commander, but...could that be their wake?" The young helmsman was reporting.

"Commander, given what we now know about the freighter and where it might have come from, I recommend that we return to the heart of the nebula before the ion/turbulence trail is lost". The CSO suggested, though Cass knew from having seen the state of the Klingon freighter herself that withdrawing would not be such a quick process.

"I'll notify the Captain that we need to consider moving onward," Cass stated, announcing her presence. "What's the deterioration rate of the trail? Would a shuttle be able to follow it in a worst case scenario?" she asked, even as she moved back towards her auxiliary station.

"Givens to Crawford. A trail has been found but it's faint and getting fainter. We're on the clock now."

With that message delivered, her dark eyes moved back to the helmsman and Miller expectantly.

== Tag guys! ==

[Lucy Devereaux]

The qoH’s ion trail was the logical approach. The major issue was the dispersion of the ion trail as the nebula settled. The Artemis could follow the trail, but with the tractor beam in its current state doing that would mean attempting to bring the qoH with them, which would be cumbersome.

Another option was to send one or more probes to follow the trail and come back with their telemetry. It would provide the route taken by the qoH and allow for a more cautious approach. They’d need to drop a few more sensor buoys to enhance their sensor capabilities, depending on the distance travelled.

Lucy dug through the list of probe classes and found one which should fit the requirements, if the Artemis had one in its stores.

“Lieutenant Commander, we could use a class 7 probe to follow the route taken by the qoH, then have it return after finding its origin point. If it is within the nebula. It would be able to give us telemetry to follow and time to move, depending on the strength of the ion trail.”

Four would have given a better search radius, but one was less likely to draw attention and the class 7 was meant to have stealth capabilities which would keep the allies of the qoH from realising they had been found. Considering the crew of the qoH were mostly Klingon their base had to be inside the nebula as getting too close to Cardassian space would mean unwanted attention. It was an option.

== tag. ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

Hallowette wrapped her arms around her chest as she stood at the science console. The gesture wasn't unfamiliar, and her grandmother often referred to it as her "thinking pose". She was completely unaware of it until the sound of someone entering the bridge drew her attention, answering Miller's question with a deft acknowledgement, then query of her own.

"I'll notify the Captain that we need to consider moving onward," the ship's Captain (or other Captain?) answered before addressing the team directly, "What's the deterioration rate of the trail? Would a shuttle be able to follow it in a worst case scenario?"

Hallowette naturally looked to Commander Miller, but she couldn't avoid that the part of the question about shuttles was all tactical. Luckily Lucy spoke first, offering an idea about sending probes in lieu of manned craft.

That's a good option. She thought.

"Uhm..." she offered meekly before finding her voices strength, "Captain, a shuttle could follow the trail, it's...it's a good idea." She turned to face the woman directly, "My concern is how diminished the probes data is outside the net. If the trail leads outside of what we've established, then the shuttle will have to blindly follow the trail - and if it's diminishing..." she glanced at Aeryn, leaving the question there. 

She again wrapped her arms around her chest, though this time she let it linger as she weighed how much further her input would be tolerated. I've spoken to like 5 Captains total in my career, and now my opinion on mission critical issues is being asked... she thought to herself. Lt. Grant was busy though, and more importantly, Captain Givens was looking at HER for any tactical solutions. This is what you wanted, right? To make a difference? To step up? 

"Captain..." she spoke up, this time more confidently, "Lt. Devereaux's plan is sound. If we are unable to get telemetry data from the qoH' that would help guide the shuttle outside the net, then maybe placing a relay, maybe even a probe itself, inside the shuttle might at least help keep us tied to our sensor net for a bit longer. It would give us the best of both worlds. Real time data that Science on the Artemis can parse, and the human element on the shuttle to respond to...whatever we might find there."

==tags!==

[Aeryn Miller]

Time was ticking down like a bomb, or that's what it felt like to Aeryn as she awaited a response from the FO. However, it was Captain Givens who addressed both her and Hally as she arrived on the Bridge. Informing Captain Crawford made a lot of sense, considering everything would rest on how long they had before the trail vanished completely. If they went with the shuttle option, then they would have to either launch another one or use one that was currently locked onto the freighter with the tractor beam. While Givens informed Tyra and then looked to her and Hally for answers, Lucy spoke up and recommended using a Class 7 probe. It wasn't a bad idea, and gave them another option, but again, all of this rested on how much time they had left.

There seemed to be a lot of ifs to consider, and Aeryn knew that they had to get this right, if they even had the smallest of chances of uncovering who the Klingons were working with or for. Choose the wrong option or not get the right one done fast enough, and it could be all over as Hally then spoke. Aeryn looked at her friend while she addressed the Captain, understanding the concern regarding sending a shuttle and the potential obstacles it might face, sharing what she was feeling before her voice became much stronger, and she offered up a solution that combined both ideas.

" I agree that might give us the best solution if we decide to go down the shuttle route, and exactly what we need to know before we do anything is how much time we have left before the trail disappears completely".

As much as Aeryn enjoyed finding a solution that would work or potentially work for them instead of against them, she also had to think of the reality of it all, and if she could get even an estimate on how long they had, then they would know exactly what the odds were of success.

" Let me see what I can find from the real-time information that we have, and then defer to the Captain as to what she wants us to do".


== Tag Bridge ==

== GM input, how much time do we have before the trail disappears completely? ==

[GM-02]

The trail is dissipating steadily. Within two hours, the trail would be gone completely and leave the Artemis reduced to a grid search pattern to try and find the Klingon's base. Two hours in which they had to retrieve the away team, get the Dominion console moved, and prepare the freighter for demolition, as well as get moving.

It would be best to be ready to follow the trail as soon as the teams are aboard.

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

The senior officers offered their opinions and in doing so, Hally came to the realization that time was running thin, and every second was going to count.

"Aeryn..." Hally said, the use of her friends first name not dawning on her. "If this is right, then we may have two hours max before that trail is gone..." She fixed her gaze on her friend, then tore it away as she headed back to the helm. 

"Captain Givens, given the shortage of time that it appears we have to follow that trail, I'm going to begin plotting a pursuit course using what probe data we can. Hopefully, even if for some reason the crew aboard the qoH' is unable to get aboard in time, we at least can transmit that to the shuttle crew to give them a...leg up.." 

Is that something humans' say? I think so. Wait, I may have learned that phrase from Suzette... FOCUS HALLY, It doesn't matter right now.

"As for the Artemis, I'll ensure we are ready to go if and when we are ready to make like a hungry targ and sniff out this trail." The most junior of officers barely contained her glee at being front and center for the task, her nose scrunched so that it was hard to make out the bajoran ridges lining the crest of her brow. "Aer...Commander Miller, any help you can provide in translating relevant probe data would be appreciated." she said with a quick thankful glance towards the CSO.

Prophets, I sure am glad you're here. She thought to herself before turning her attention back to her task.

==GM: Oh glorious, and most appreciated GM of the Second mark, I realize you are planning to forward us a bit, so please use or disregard this post as you see fit (in your divine GMey wisdom).==

==TAGs!==

[Aeryn Miller]

Hallowette's comment regarding how much time they had left before the trail disappeared completely was accurate, as the CSO looked over the data that she had received in response to her request. " Exactly, which might seem a lot, but it isn't when you think about it," Aeryn replied a little solemnly. Two hours, however, would in reality allow them to get the away team back on board, and start moving away from the freighter, but Aeryn also knew how things could change without warning. So, while Hally returned to the helm and spoke with Captain Givens, Aeryn listened, agreeing with the solution should the away team be delayed in returning to the ship.

It was always good to have more options, as Hally got the ship ready to go, before asking Aeryn for whatever assistance Science could provide as they prepared to follow the trail.

" Of course, we'll do what we can to assist".

At this point, Aeryn wasn't sure how much info the probes could provide as they moved away from them, but hopefully it would be enough to get them where they needed to be without too much resistance and potential issues. " Lucy, two sets of eyes will be better than one, on this, so let's stay focused on what we need to do".

Not that Aeryn had to remind the junior officer of how important their task was, but a little reminder wouldn't hurt, as she resumed her work.

== Tags ==

[GM-02]

==Cdr Jolann==

"Alright," Jolann said as he listened to the group on the bridge. "Launch the probes and let them be tracking. As soon as everyone is aboard, we'll follow." He stopped for a second and then turned back to the scientists. "If you find anything - anything at all - stop the probes immediately. We don't know what's out there, and we don't want to accidentally tip anyone off that we're here."

Fortunately for them, it wasn't long until the last signal came in. The away team was back aboard, the last shuttle had docked, and the qoH was prepared to be scuttled. Captain Givens had seen herself below to be treated, and while Captain Crawford had yet to make it back, she'd given her orders clearly enough - don't wait on her. So he stood and turned to the helm.

"Alright, people, let's get a move on. Helm, take us out, best speed. And send the detonation signal when you're ready."

==GM==

As the probes navigated, the route that they followed tracing the qoH's path led deeper and deeper into the nebula. Within fifteen minutes, the signal back to the Artemis began to get dicey, but fortunately Artemis soon got underway. Using the probes as pathfinders, Artemis was able to fairly easily follow the path, and eventually the probes came to a halt at a small planetary system at almost the exact center of the nebula.

A white dwarf star hovered in the center of the probe's feed, with a single world hovering in orbit nearby. It was a lot closer to the star than normal, but then normally planets didn't orbit dwarf stars. How it got here was a mystery, but the rocky world had three things that the probe could definitely identify:

First, it was a small rocky world, with some open water sources scattered across its surface and hosting small oases of life.

Second, there were definitely signs of habitation, as one of those oases had what appeared to be a small colony on its shore, with a number of lifesigns detectable even from the edge of the system.

Third, there were a half-dozen weapons platforms orbiting the planet and star, all of them active and waiting for a target.

==Hallowette, I'll let you describe our detonation of the qoH if you like. Channel your inner Mythbuster!==

[Mara Calleja]

The Security Chief was glad to be back aboard Artemis. Just the feeling of Star Fleet solidity under her boots was reassuring after an extended time aboard the crumbling ruin of the qoH. Which made the purpose of her visit to the Bridge just that little bit more satisfying.

Stepping off the turbolift, Mara took a look around to get her bearings. She was still in full armour, although at this point it was very much worse for wear. Her chestplate was cracked, her half-destroyed helmet was clipped to her belt, and there were splashes of dried purple blood across her body and face.

"Alright, people, let's get a move on. Helm, take us out, best speed. And send the detonation signal when you're ready." The FO spoke up.

“That would be where I come in,” Calleja said calmly. “Tell me when we’re clear. I’ve been lookin’ forward to this for the last couple hours.”

In her hand the Amazonian Lieutenant held the detonation controller for the charges that had been planted throughout the dilapidated smuggler vessel. With a flick of her thumb she armed the bombs, the lights on the controller going from green to red and the box emitting a faint whine of readiness.

When she got the signal from the helm, Mara nodded. With no small degree of satisfaction she brought her thumb down on the detonate control.

== Tags Hallowette - to you for the blast! Thanks for letting me do that. ==

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

The focus that accompanied the myriad orders given by Commander Jolan was just what the bridge crew had needed to break out of 'wait and see' and engage in the much preferable 'let's do this'.

Hally listened as the science team took on their assignment with the probes, finishing what calculations and automated actions that the computer could take care of. Before she knew it, the boarding team had finished their tasks, set the scuttling charges, and evacuated the doomed vessel without further incident. Hally had to admit, she was impressed by the teams professionalism. It seemed to take far less time to wrap up their mission than she expected.

"Commander, the shuttle is back aboard and all teams are accounted for." Hallowette announced as the ships operations team checked in with the bridge.
 
"Alright, people, let's get a move on. Helm, take us out, best speed. And send the detonation signal when you're ready."
Commander Jolan had just finished the sentence, leaving Hally to reel slightly under the massive responsibility of being the one to actually send the destruction code. Looking back, she would be thankful that Mara, still wearing her boarding gear and what appeared to be...is that klingon blood???

"That would be where I come in." said the large woman that Hally had gotten to know over drinks and song not long after joining the crew. The calm in her booming voice belayed her combat battered visage, though it seemed oddly on brand given the context of the moment. "Tell me when we're clear. I've been lookin' forward to this for the last couple of hours."
The curly haired helmsman grinned at her budding friend, silently relieved to see her intact and non the worse for the wear. "Of course Lieutenant." Hally said before inputting a quick series of commands into the console before her and moving the Artemis a short distance away.

She turned slightly in her seat, making sure that her next announcement could be seen by both the Commander and Calleja. "The Artemis is safely outside the scuttle zone Sirs. Computer shows all chargepak signals strong and awaiting the detonation code."

Mara nodded without a word and for a moment - a very long moment - it seemed nothing happened.

Hallowette would later tell her father of how oddly unexpected her first real encounter with destroying a ship would be.

Hally looked on, her breath held with anticipation, her teal eyes transfixed on the viewing screen, some primordial fascination with destruction demanding she see every moment of what would come next.

The Klingon freighter, proudly built and operated for what was likely decades had finally, and ultimately met its fate this day at the hand of the Artemis. The grey-green hull hung silently stoic among the swirling chaotic darkness of the nebula, ionized gases dancing like sprites as they interacted with the still venting and rapidly freezing vapor from the earlier explosion at its side. Hallowette found it curious that during the time they had watched over the overtaken vessel that it was only now that she noticed how the nebula's plasma glowed slightly against the qoH's exterior, and she spared a moment to wonder if the Artemis might have a similar effect going on that she was just as unaware of. Her gaze ran along the qoH's lines, a witness to its final moments before she finally settled on the faded and ill maintained house sigil - long since applied to the ship, pockmarked by micrometeor's' and ill repaired battle damage.

Then suddenly out of the silence, a simple, dull thump.

Then another.

Then another.

The fourth was betrayed by a rending, violent flash that erupted from the bottom of the ship like lightning, its only evidence reflected by the softly glowing nebula surrounding it, charged by excited ambient energy escaping from the doomed vessel. But again silence - a last, final gasp among the cosmos - desperate - yet ultimately in vain.

Hallowette's curiosity though turned to something darker as the freighter's actual destruction became much more visceral than the young woman could have expected.

The qoH' did not erupt. It UNFOLDED.

From deep within the engine core, a controlled antimatter reaction bloomed, white-hot and precise. An instant later, expertly placed internal charges set along the structure of the ship fired in perfect synchronicity, severing the ship’s key bulkheads like a naughty child pulling apart an insect. The warp nacelles flared briefly, likely some automated energy surge grasping at life before being shattered in a blooming scream of light. The hull rippled outward, then back in on itself as pressure equalized, sections peeling back like the petals of a dying flower.

The nebula’s volatile gases, not to be forgotten, rushed into the now vacuous spaces of the torn vessel before catching the volatile mixture of energy, heat, oxygen and unbound plasma. It flared angrily in violent response— green fire curling around the wreckage like the fingers of  an angry god, tearing away pieces, liquid fire flaring against it, before giving way to the unkind void of gravitational shears and plasma currents. What little remained of the freighter began to spiral, sinking away into the depths of the nebula, slowly consumed by the deliberate chaos inflicted upon it.

Within moments, all traces of its purpose, its history, its existence were swallowed whole.

Hallowette caught the breath in her throat and forced it away. She watched as the last embers of what was once the qoH' faded away. 

"Sensors report total destruction Sir." she said with as little emotion as possible. Without turning to face the senior officers on the bridge, she continued, "Laying in a course to follow the probe's path Sir, best speed."

The probe's had proven a godsend, and the journey to join them proved far easier than it would have been otherwise. Eventually, and surprisingly emerging into what appeared to be a white dwarf system.

"Commander, we appear to be in the center of the nebula - a white dwarf system. Telemetry scans show a single small planet...class M?" Hally looked quizzically towards Aeryn before turning back to the tactical feed. "Uhm, also sir, there appear to be active weapon platforms online protecting the world and the star itself. I'm withholding scans of the hardware until your order Sir."

==TAGS! Now that was fun to write!==

[Aeryn Miller]

" Aye, Commander," came the response as Aeryn digested the specific instructions that had been given to science. Launching the probes would only take seconds, and as for keeping a close eye on them, well, Aeryn knew that between her, Lucy, and tactical, they wouldn't let them be exposed to potential enemy sources. The last thing the CSO wanted was for them to walk into a trap or end up in some battle with whoever was responsible for what had been found on the freighter. " Probes are launched," she said after a couple of minutes, overseeing them on the monitor before the sound of the bridge doors swishing open caught her attention. Mara appeared along with the telltale signs of what she had endured over on the Q'oh, the reason for her friend's visit apparent as she and Hally coordinated the destruction of the Q'oh.

No doubt it would be quite the story to retell at their next meet-up, as the CSO allowed herself a moment to watch the freighter meet its fiery end before returning to her work. Emotionless would be the best way to describe how she felt seeing the Q'oh shrink into nothingness, knowing that the rest of the puzzle awaited them along the trail it had taken. With that in mind, Aeryn continued monitoring the probes as the ship got underway, following their path easily despite a dicey moment before departure. The probes soon came to a halt at a small planetary system right in the heart of the nebula, which Aeryn didn't expect to see. Her inner scientist was excited at such a discovery, especially about how a single world was orbiting a white dwarf. Something that shouldn't have happened, but there it was for them to see as Hally addressed the FO before looking at Aeryn for confirmation regarding the planet.

"That's what it looks like: The probes have been able to identify that it's a small rocky world, with some open water sources scattered across the surface and home to small oases of life. Further still, there appears to be a small colony on one of those oases, with several lifesigns detected".

Hally was also correct about the active weapon platforms orbiting the planet, so whoever lived there was prepared to deal with anyone who happened to pass by. The kind of welcome that was expected, considering what they had found so far, so the CSO wasn't surprised by this particular finding. As for the lifesigns, she could only imagine who they belonged to, but a closer inspection would have to be done with caution, and it was also dependent on how the FO and Captain Crawford would want to proceed.

" The probes are holding position".

== Tags ==

[Tyra Crawford]

It had likely surprised no one when Tyra has insisted on being among the last group transporting back to Artemis with Nathan in tow -- she assumed he'd remained in her shadow out of a not unfounded concern she'd take a more active role in the freighter's destruction. And under different circumstances, it probably would have been a very justified concern.

Instead, she'd sent him to change into something a little less smelly moments after materializing, just in time for her to get shanghaied by Cera and a crisis of a different variety. Fortunately, the diminutive blonde had come bearing coffee as an apology for the added headache, which Tyra greedily sipped as she hurried into the nearest lift a good ten minutes later.

There was the slightest grumble and sigh as she felt the lift slow ahead of Deck 1 but she used a mouthful of coffee to hide her impatience as the lift had slowed to allow an additional passenger. The impatience was short lived as Nathan had stepped into the lift and she'd offered a smile and a well placed quip regarding his improved appearance as the lift had resumed it's climb to the bridge.

She didn't bother hiding the slight fidget in her posture, the clear indication of her impatience with the speed of the lift. It wasn't something that would usually bother her but everything seemed to be just another poke or prod to her very frayed nerves. For the upteenth time, she wondered if Bill hadn't been wrong about her and where she needed to be.

It was as that somber thought was circling that the lift doors opened onto a bridge that was a little more crowded than usual. What were two more people?

"--all chargepak signals strong and awaiting the detonation code."

Her blue eyes immediately moved to the view screen, even as her feet took her to the railing behind the advisor's chair with the assumption that Nathan was behind her. The restless impatience seemed to grow as the view remained unchanged as the seconds seemed to drag by.

Her gaze was just about to shift to Calleja with a questioning eyebrow raise when the first charge detonated with an anti-climatic thunk.

In her many years of service, she has witnessed a great many ships' destruction, both friend and for, but there was still something awesome inspiring yet dread filled about each instance. This time, she didn't need to imagine the last moments of the damned souls on board, which lifted some of the weight, but it was no less magnificent in its violence. It was a magnificence the QoH likely hadn't deserved given its purpose but that didn't seem to change anything.

"Sensors report total destruction Sir," helms reported. "Laying in a course to follow the probe's path Sir, best speed."

Her eyes stayed on the screen for a moment longer before she began moving. She crossed behind Calleja, patting the taller woman on the shoulder as she went.

"Good work, Mara. And you too, Midshipman," she raised her voice on the end so that her words would carry to helms before she continued her progress towards her chair.

She nodded to her first officer as she came to a stop in front of her chair.

"So much for a simple prototype test," she mumbled with a wry tone. "We found a stowaway, a traffic ring and hopefully soon, their home base."

She surveyed the bridge once more. Givens had tucked herself into the away team ops station, which seemed to be where she preferred to be. For someone with command experience, she seemed entirely unwilling to set foot on the command deck but the redhead supposed that likely came from her background. In this instance, it worked to Tyra's benefits as they now had a displaced officer to accommodate, one Tyra didn't want out of her sight in the short term.

"Ramius," she called out with the tone that was just one step under the one that demanded outright obedience. Instead of saying anything else, she motioned to the empty mission advisor seat to her left.

Then, she settled into her own seat to watch their progress into the nebula, taking a few minutes to bring Jolann up to speed on what they'd discovered on the freighter in hushed whispers. She wouldn't say she had necessarily warmed up to the Denobulan but he had done nothing to earn anything but cooperation from her.

"Commander, we appear to be in the center of the nebula - a white dwarf system. Telemetry scans show a single small planet...class M? Uhm, also sir, there appear to be active weapon platforms online protecting the world and the star itself. I'm withholding scans of the hardware until your order Sir," reported Maxas-Darl.

"That's what it looks like: The probes have been able to identify that it's a small rocky world, with some open water sources scattered across the surface and home to small oases of life. Further still, there appears to be a small colony on one of those oases, with several lifesigns detected," Aeryn echoed.

"Can we determine specifics on the life forms? And any specifications on the weapons platforms?"

Tyra had inched forward on her chair as of a few more inches closer to the screen would give her answers.

Who knows about this planet?

The Maquis has used this nebula as an operations arena during the war. Had Maquis survived the war hidden within the nebula? Was this a hidden Cardassian base? The very basis of Starfleet's concern for this nebula and the reason they'd been testing the enhanced probes.

"Any signs of vessels in orbit of the planet? Or other installations?"

== Tag ==

[Mara Calleja]

As the qoH was reduced to its component atoms in a cloud of pyrotechnics, Mara watched the bits of metal spiral off into space with only the barest flicker of a feeling of triumph. For someone who hadn’t quite touched 30 yet she’d been here so many times before. And every time the adrenaline wore off, she felt that familiar emotional tug of war between the elation of survival and the fact that she’d yet again broken that old vow to put her knife to one side.

There was a pat on her shoulder. Calleja didn’t flinch or turn. She knew who it was even before she heard the familiar drawl.

"Good work, Mara. And you too, Midshipman."

The Captain’s words sank through the melancholic fog.

Come on. Sort your head out. First taste of action as Chief of Security. Your plans worked. Your teams are all back and breathin’. Hell, we even have one more than we started with. Dark eyes looked over at Ramius. We broke up a people smugglin’ ring. And Mayfair is down there now workin’ out what the hell else we’ve just walked into. Give yourself some fuckin’ credit, instead of bein’ such a dirty great downer.

Calleja shook her head to clear it. In the moment’s lull as they followed the probe, she made a decision and quietly disarmed the detonator in her hand.

“Hey Hallowette. Catch,” she called. When the helmswoman turned, the Security Chief tossed her the detonator. “Memento for ya. You don’t forget your first.” There was a faint smile on the mercurial Lieutenant’s face.

“By your leave, boss,” Mara said to Tyra with a nod, excusing herself and heading for the turbolift. Something told her it wasn’t going to be long before there was someone new to fight, and she wanted to clean the blood of the last one off before it was time to go again.

>> Quarters >>

[Hallowette Maxas-Darl]

The obliteration of the qoH' was total and complete, a display of destruction that Hally felt strangely comfortable with. 

She had seen wrecks before, derelicts, and drifting hulks, even a Ferengi yacht that had apparently lost power at some point back in the 2360's and had been drifting in the void between Bajor and Cardassia for 30 or more years.

Still, to see one destroyed in person...that would be something she remembered for a long time - even if it was just a half broken Klingon hauler operated by terrifically awful beings. Still, that fact balanced the violence she witnessed inflicted upon it. The qoH's ending, no matter how expressively savage that it was, meant that it could no longer be used for evil purposes. Starfleet, her friends and Allies - the Artemis - ensured that it could no longer destroy lives, and that...that was a win.

Hally's thoughts were brought back to the present as she glanced at the detonator from the edge of her console. Mara had said it was a momento. Hallowette has smiled broadly at the Bandarin's gesture, and now as she gazed at it, she couldn't help but feel odd. Such a mundane thing to have initiated such power. In any case, She'd thank Mara properly when this was over - maybe see if she wanted to get a meal and decompress in the holodeck for a bit. She was thankful that she and the CoS had become something akin to friends, and while it was still a new thing, she was thankful that Calleja was successful - but even more so that she was glad she was ok and in one piece.

In any case, it was likely Mara and her people would again be facing danger - likely more soon than not, and so it was up to her to ensure that they knew as much as possible before that happened.

Noting that Grant was still occupied with the operations aboard the ship Hally had acknowledged the Captain's queries on needing more information. She trusted Miller to handle the science part of things, so she began to work on scanning the capabilities of the hardware.

"Initiating scans of the hardware and other defense capabilities...Sir." 

==GM Input: Is Hally successful in determining what they might be facing as far as the platforms or other ships in the area? Also, can you verify what alert status the ship is at?==

[Aeryn Miller]

Aeryn's report on what the probes had found wasn't just heard by those currently on the Bridge, as Captain Crawford returned to her command post along with a man who immediately captured her attention, specifically his name, as if she was recalling something from memory. Whatever it was would have to wait, along with any pleasantries, when she was asked about determining the specifics on the life forms that had been picked up by the probes, and any specific information about the weapons platforms that Hally had mentioned. As she prepared to acknowledge the Captain's questions, Mara departed the Bridge, but not before giving their newest Middie a souvenir that had played an instrumental part in the freighter's destruction.

The CSO grinned ever so slightly, remembering her first memento, then spoke clearly after Hally had acknowledged what Tyra had said, effectively dividing the workload as any good Captain would.

" I should be able to get that information, Captain, checking the probe data now".

If they had already managed to provide them with this amount of data, Aeryn was equally hopeful that she would be able to answer the Captain's questions. Of course, they ran the risk of having to go closer; however, the redhead scientist was confident in her ability to search for the answers.

== Tags ==

== GM input, is Aeryn able to determine the specifics of the lifeforms detected, particularly the exact number and species? Is she also able to get the specifications of the weapons platform? ==

[GM-02]

==Assume that the ship is at Yellow Alert==

The Artemis had powerful sensors, and was able to generally get excellent information. The nebula still cut that some, but they were close enough to the planet that that was minimized.

Around the planet hung several defense platforms, all of Dominion design. Three were visible on this side of the planet, and Hallowette's tactical training led her to assume there were likely two more on the far side to complete the defenses. While powerful, they weren't individually overwhelming - Artemis could likely successfully take on one of them, possibly two, but the entire array would definitely overwhelm the Vesta-class ship, between the polaron beams and the high-yield torpedoes each one was armed with. As she watched the scanners, a small B'rel-class bird of prey came around the planet in a standard orbit. The obsolete ship was favored by pirates and smugglers, anyone who favored attacking unarmed opponents and running from everyone else. While there didn't appear to be anyone else nearby, it would take some action to determine that: either dispatching the probes to the far side of the planet and risking detection, or waiting to see if anything else comes out from behind the planet. While standard orbital speeds would bring anything behind the planet into view within an hour, something that might be in a stationary orbit might not be revealed for most of a day.

On the planet, the lone inhabited location showed a mix of Klingons, Cardassians, and Vorta. Numbers were still indeterminate, but as Artemis got closer they were able to distinguish a little more. The location was organized more like a prison camp than a standard colony, though the buildings seem to not have started life that way. Most of the Cardassians and Vorta were congregated in a single location, with single-digits worth of Klingons among and surrounding them. There was what appeared to be a barracks area nearby, with numerous Klingons present, and then a third location that had a higher power draw and several Vorta and Cardassians along with an equal number of Klingons.