11-30-2025, 08:52 PM
"What are we? Gunslingers at high noon," Tyra had muttered to herself in the wake of science's pronouncement. She'd seen the slight sideways glance her first officer had thrown her but he'd been wise enough to keep his own commentary to himself.
"Captain?" Her CTO sounded much younger than he was with that questioning lilt to his voice and a glance over at him showed he looked just as unsure as he sounded. Not for the first time, she wished for Jenny to be back. Or Eli.
"Hold," she commanded, though her tone held such a note to indicate she was none too please with that order. She knew as well as anyone that it was better to act than react but she'd already towed the line of questionable aggression. She didn't feel like starting this fight was truly in anyone's best interest, particularly if they had friends lurking in the nebula.
Thirty very uncomfortable seconds ticked by as both vessels just hung there in space, waiting for the slightest of twitches. It seemed the Bird of Prey's patience for this détente wore out first as it began to shift as if it desired to move around Artemis towards the safety of the nebula, giving the Artemis a wide berth.
"Captain, it looks like they're beginning to --"
"Do [b]not --"
Both Grant's report and her own harsh override were cut off by a heavy, abrupt one-two punch. Their saving grace had been that helm had not assumed a retreat like Tyra suspected Grant had and had begun swinging the bow of the ship to keep them in line. The delay of reaction meant the hits weren't taken on the nose but they also hadn't been taken in the aft like the Klingons had probably hoped.
Tyra didn't know what they had been hit with but it had packed a punch. The bridge was filled with smoke and she thought she had heard sparks behind her somewhere. She tasted blood in her own mouth and grimaced as she made eye contact with Jolann.
"Return fire! Wreck 'em. Helm, don't let them get into that nebula; herd 'em like their sheep."
As the battled stretched on, Tyra wasn't exactly certain what the Klingons' long term plan had been but she'd give them credit for tenacity and sheer willpower. Her helmsman did an excellent job of pressing the ship, forcing them onto the defensive and away from the nebula's edge but it wasn't without its hiccups. She'd lost the tactical station early on in a spray of sparks that had hit Grant head-on; fortunately, his station had quickly been rerouted to an auxiliary, where Givens had taken it, and Grant himself had been sent to Sickbay despite his own protests, which she took as a good sign.
She wasn't certain who Omdor had left in engineering but they deserved a raise for how well they were adapting to the ensuing chaos.
"One more hit should take down their shields and then, I can knock out their engines," Cass reported and helm acknowledged they were trying to line the shots up.
But as luck would have it, that was not what happened. For as agile as the Artemis was, she was no real match for the Bird of Prey on that front and there was nothing more frustrating than getting tied in a knot by the prey you were hunting. Tyra wasn't certain if the enemy vessel had a change in pilot or a change in tactic but all of a sudden, they were using that agility to press back, getting in some nice licks when possible.
And then, she just disappeared off of both sensors and the main screen. For the first time since the battle had begun, the bridge went entirely silent save for Tyra's own expletive utterance.
"What are the chances that they're tucking tail?" Cass asked but Tyra just shook her head. The fact that they had waited this late in the battle to show that card was interesting and maybe, it was possible they were focused on running like the original vessel they'd chased but that’s not what Tyra's gut told her was happening.
"Landing successful but contested. Calleja will report when she has further information but she reported that life signs are disappearing," Jolann reported close to her ear and Tyra merely nodded, moving to answer the report herself.
"Someone find that damn ship before it literally bites us."
== TBC ==
"Captain?" Her CTO sounded much younger than he was with that questioning lilt to his voice and a glance over at him showed he looked just as unsure as he sounded. Not for the first time, she wished for Jenny to be back. Or Eli.
"Hold," she commanded, though her tone held such a note to indicate she was none too please with that order. She knew as well as anyone that it was better to act than react but she'd already towed the line of questionable aggression. She didn't feel like starting this fight was truly in anyone's best interest, particularly if they had friends lurking in the nebula.
Thirty very uncomfortable seconds ticked by as both vessels just hung there in space, waiting for the slightest of twitches. It seemed the Bird of Prey's patience for this détente wore out first as it began to shift as if it desired to move around Artemis towards the safety of the nebula, giving the Artemis a wide berth.
"Captain, it looks like they're beginning to --"
"Do [b]not --"
Both Grant's report and her own harsh override were cut off by a heavy, abrupt one-two punch. Their saving grace had been that helm had not assumed a retreat like Tyra suspected Grant had and had begun swinging the bow of the ship to keep them in line. The delay of reaction meant the hits weren't taken on the nose but they also hadn't been taken in the aft like the Klingons had probably hoped.
Tyra didn't know what they had been hit with but it had packed a punch. The bridge was filled with smoke and she thought she had heard sparks behind her somewhere. She tasted blood in her own mouth and grimaced as she made eye contact with Jolann.
"Return fire! Wreck 'em. Helm, don't let them get into that nebula; herd 'em like their sheep."
As the battled stretched on, Tyra wasn't exactly certain what the Klingons' long term plan had been but she'd give them credit for tenacity and sheer willpower. Her helmsman did an excellent job of pressing the ship, forcing them onto the defensive and away from the nebula's edge but it wasn't without its hiccups. She'd lost the tactical station early on in a spray of sparks that had hit Grant head-on; fortunately, his station had quickly been rerouted to an auxiliary, where Givens had taken it, and Grant himself had been sent to Sickbay despite his own protests, which she took as a good sign.
She wasn't certain who Omdor had left in engineering but they deserved a raise for how well they were adapting to the ensuing chaos.
"One more hit should take down their shields and then, I can knock out their engines," Cass reported and helm acknowledged they were trying to line the shots up.
But as luck would have it, that was not what happened. For as agile as the Artemis was, she was no real match for the Bird of Prey on that front and there was nothing more frustrating than getting tied in a knot by the prey you were hunting. Tyra wasn't certain if the enemy vessel had a change in pilot or a change in tactic but all of a sudden, they were using that agility to press back, getting in some nice licks when possible.
And then, she just disappeared off of both sensors and the main screen. For the first time since the battle had begun, the bridge went entirely silent save for Tyra's own expletive utterance.
"What are the chances that they're tucking tail?" Cass asked but Tyra just shook her head. The fact that they had waited this late in the battle to show that card was interesting and maybe, it was possible they were focused on running like the original vessel they'd chased but that’s not what Tyra's gut told her was happening.
"Landing successful but contested. Calleja will report when she has further information but she reported that life signs are disappearing," Jolann reported close to her ear and Tyra merely nodded, moving to answer the report herself.
"Someone find that damn ship before it literally bites us."
== TBC ==