01-13-2026, 04:22 PM
== USS Zephyr's Bridge ==
Commander Ameen monitored the telemetry, his jaw set. He heard the debate regarding the prisoners and the pause for scanning.
A valid question for a seminar, Midshipman, Ameen thought, his eyes narrowing slightly at the delay. But right now, the only morality is the clock.
"Midshipman Cortez," Ameen's voice came over the comms, firm but measured. "Your caution is noted, but Starfleet does not triage patients based on criminal history. We save the lives first; we ask the difficult questions later. We will revisit this concern in the debrief. For now let's stay focused on the mission."
He watched the tactical display as a chunk of the hull floated free—Gath's manual labor was paying off where the phasers had failed.
Brute force, he noted with a grim sense of approval. Sometimes the best tool in the box is just a bigger hammer.
He glanced at the bio-monitors, his eyes lingering for a fraction of a second longer on the Science Officer's readout. Seeing Ra'an's vitals stabilize after the shockwave settled a specific, quiet tension in his chest. He trusted her competence implicitly, but seeing her that close to a disintegrating hull made the danger feel sharply personal.
We still have a date to keep, Lieutenant, he thought, forcing his eyes back to the main tactical plot. Don't make me wait...
"Lieutenant Gath, good work. The mechanical breach is stable. Keep swinging."
He then turned to the tactical station, addressing Lieutenant Powl directly. The Vulcan's proposal to daisy-chain pattern enhancers was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Smart, Ameen thought, a wave of relief washing over him. Dragging those pods out by hand through a jagged hull would have been a disaster waiting to happen...
"Lieutenant Powl, your plan for the integrity field and pattern enhancers is approved. It solves the extraction problem; dragging twelve pods through a jagged hull breach is a risk I'd prefer to avoid. Prepare the pattern buffer and coordinate with the Away Team. Once they are inside, their priority—after stabilizing power—will be setting up your emitters."
He switched back to the main channel to address his First Officer.
"Commander Keir, you heard the Lieutenant. We can't induct power remotely, but you're about to have a hole in the wall. Have Midshipman Brennan prep an external power umbilical from the shuttle. Once Gath clears the inner bulkhead, run the line inside to hotwire the pods, then deploy the pattern enhancers for transport. We'll beam them directly to sickbay."
He checked the countdown clock. Twelve minutes...
Twelve minutes to bridge a hundred thousand years, he mused, the weight of the moment pressing down on him. Don't miss...
"You're almost there. Move fast."
== Tag ==
Commander Ameen monitored the telemetry, his jaw set. He heard the debate regarding the prisoners and the pause for scanning.
A valid question for a seminar, Midshipman, Ameen thought, his eyes narrowing slightly at the delay. But right now, the only morality is the clock.
"Midshipman Cortez," Ameen's voice came over the comms, firm but measured. "Your caution is noted, but Starfleet does not triage patients based on criminal history. We save the lives first; we ask the difficult questions later. We will revisit this concern in the debrief. For now let's stay focused on the mission."
He watched the tactical display as a chunk of the hull floated free—Gath's manual labor was paying off where the phasers had failed.
Brute force, he noted with a grim sense of approval. Sometimes the best tool in the box is just a bigger hammer.
He glanced at the bio-monitors, his eyes lingering for a fraction of a second longer on the Science Officer's readout. Seeing Ra'an's vitals stabilize after the shockwave settled a specific, quiet tension in his chest. He trusted her competence implicitly, but seeing her that close to a disintegrating hull made the danger feel sharply personal.
We still have a date to keep, Lieutenant, he thought, forcing his eyes back to the main tactical plot. Don't make me wait...
"Lieutenant Gath, good work. The mechanical breach is stable. Keep swinging."
He then turned to the tactical station, addressing Lieutenant Powl directly. The Vulcan's proposal to daisy-chain pattern enhancers was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Smart, Ameen thought, a wave of relief washing over him. Dragging those pods out by hand through a jagged hull would have been a disaster waiting to happen...
"Lieutenant Powl, your plan for the integrity field and pattern enhancers is approved. It solves the extraction problem; dragging twelve pods through a jagged hull breach is a risk I'd prefer to avoid. Prepare the pattern buffer and coordinate with the Away Team. Once they are inside, their priority—after stabilizing power—will be setting up your emitters."
He switched back to the main channel to address his First Officer.
"Commander Keir, you heard the Lieutenant. We can't induct power remotely, but you're about to have a hole in the wall. Have Midshipman Brennan prep an external power umbilical from the shuttle. Once Gath clears the inner bulkhead, run the line inside to hotwire the pods, then deploy the pattern enhancers for transport. We'll beam them directly to sickbay."
He checked the countdown clock. Twelve minutes...
Twelve minutes to bridge a hundred thousand years, he mused, the weight of the moment pressing down on him. Don't miss...
"You're almost there. Move fast."
== Tag ==