Unexpected... part 2
Posted on Tue Dec 12th, 2023 @ 1:30am by Lieutenant Commander Jaal Jaxom & Commodore Finchley Kerr & Lieutenant Kell Asaa Dr & Lieutenant T'Lira Sh'Karra & Lieutenant Commander Isabelle Savette
Edited on on Tue Dec 12th, 2023 @ 1:35am
1,332 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Investigate the Chintoka Shipyard Buildup
Location: Cardassian Territory
Timeline: current
“Link to their computer…now” the Gul said.
“Uploading link now, sending code” the Trooper replied.
[USS Blackeagle]
“They’re baring down on us, thirty seconds,” Karadis said, “Going to red alert, raising shields, locking phas…”, then a shocked look crossed her face.
“What the fuck, our shields are dropping and our weapons are offline!” she shouted.
"WHAT!?" Jaal exclaimed while making his way to the operations console. There were precious few explanations for this happening and one immediate suspicion came to mind.
Isabelle thumped the helm controls. “Everything is useless! They have total control over all our systems!”
T'Lira checked her systems but it was as if someone else were controlling them remotely.
"Hang on," he leaned over Karadis' station and inputted a few commands of his own. "He could have let us know... They're using our ship's prefix code to command Blackeagle systems remotely. Damnit!" One thing the Trill hated was not knowing what was going on. He hadn't thought Kerr would do this and had no back-up plan for this eventuality. "This better be part of Kerr's plan or we're screwed."
“We should be able to circumvent, but that would take time we don’t have right now.” Isabelle sighed. “What is Kerr trying to do? He must have a plan.”
[Galor class]
“Open a channel to the Federation ship” Dukat said.
“Open Gul” the Trooper replied.
“This is Gul Dukat. You’re defenseless and now prisoners of the Cardassian Union. I’m a practical opponent, I am willing to beam over personally and accept your surrender. Before you think of saying yes and using me as a prisoner to use as leverage to escape, know that if you do, my ships have orders to open fire and destroy you, even if I’m onboard. So, please think about how you react to me arriving shortly. Oh, the same goes for my ships if they lose contact with me, just another safeguard in case you’re thinking I’m a bargaining tool. Expect me subsequently!”
Jaal's eyes narrowed in apparent annoyance. "Great," he said to no one in particular. He went to the operations console and called up Captain Kerr's service record. After a quick study of the information presented he blanked the display. Looking to Karadis he said, "We have one question to ask him to make sure it's our captain and not the real Dukat. Hopefully this is part of Kerr's plan." then to the rest of the people on the bridge he said, "I suspect our disguised captain is beaming aboard but we need to stay on our toes." While he spoke he went to the bridge's engineering console and began typing with purpose but to those untrained it looked quite frantic. McCrudden is gonna be pissed. he thought silently.
Then to Lieutenant Savette he ordered, pointing at her. "If you suspect that's not Kerr when he beams aboard you need to give me a sign."
Isabelle nodded. “Understood Sir.”
The haze of a transporter beam appeared and seconds later, Gul Dukat stood on the Blackeagle’s bridge. Tapping his COMM link he said, “I’m safe…for the moment.”
He surveyed those around the bridge, taking in their hardened stares. Walking over to the centre chair, he theatrically threw himself into it and said, “This is the difference between your ships and ours, your Commanding Officer gets to have a seat, I have to stand all the time. It can be somewhat tiring on the legs.”
Karadis rose angrily from her seat and marched over to where Dukat was and growled “Get out of that chair…now!”
“Or what?” Dukat asked.
“I’ll rip your arm off and beat you to death with the wet end!!!” Karadis answered menacingly.
“Typical Klingon over reaction” Dukat replied, but did rise from the chair and began strolling round the bridge.
“I study my opponents well, and get to know as much about them as I can, and those around them, Chief Warrant Officer…Karadis, isn’t it?”
Karadis said nothing in reply.
“Now, I know Captain Kerr is dead, we intercepted him trying to attack the Founders ship in the stolen time ship” Dukat said, sounding offhand as he spoke, “Leaving his trusted confidant…Lieutenant Commander Giles I believes, in temporary Command, where is Lieutenant Commander Giles?” he asked.
Karadis looked at Jaal and Isabelle…
Isabelle was surveying ‘Dukat’ as he strolled around the bridge, she couldn’t help but smile as she nodded to Karadis confirming it was indeed Kerr.
“Commander, eh…Giles, was injured when we escaped the Berion cloud, Lieutenant Jaxom is now in temporary Command ” Karadis replied.
“You mean when you caused the explosion in the cloud, killing everyone onboard the Cardassian ship hunting you,” Dukat said.
“All’s fair in hate and war,” Karadis spat back.
Dukat laughed, “The dry Klingon wit, it suits you Karadis.”
Karadis said nothing again, just stared.
Talking into his communicator, Dukat said, “I’m going to speak to the Captain, I’ll contact you when I’m done,” then he closed the link.
Looking at Jaal he said, “Listen up, I don’t have much time. When I re-establish the link, the command I’ll give is to ready for firing. The Keldon ships will fan out and form a kill crossfire. It’ll also alert my ship and the Galor in the rear to fix weapons on them. When I say fire, my ship will fire its rear phasers and the other Galor will use its forward phasers to take all three ships out.”
Jaxom smirked and allowed himself a quiet sigh of relief. His suspicions came true.
Isabelle gave Kerr/Dukat a look. “That’s great, but what if one or more of them gets a shot off before they’re destroyed? We’re a defenceless sitting duck here!”
“Because we’re going to do the same to them as we’ve done here” Dukat replied, “ We hacked the Keldons computers and got their command override codes. It’ll take them twenty seconds to get into position once I give the firing command. Fifteen seconds from them moving, we’ll send the commands, their shields will drop and we’ll fire,” he said.
“Now that is brilliant!” Isabelle smiled.
"It's good..." Jaal complimented. It sounded like something he'd come up with but he kept that tidbit to himself "... but still, I'd like to raise our own shields just in case. Is there any chance we can regain control of Blackeagle?"
“No, that would raise immediate suspicion” Dukat replied “and that would scupper my plan. Onto another subject, where’s Kilbane, why isn’t he in charge of the bridge?”
Karadis had bided her time, but that had come to pass.
She walked over, took Dukat’s arm and spun him round, “Hey, jackass, Kilbane’s in Sickbay, he went up like fairy lights when the console next to him went up, but let’s not get into that, let’s talk about you and what’s happened since you took off on your solo crusade!”
“And hello to you Karadis, good to see ‘you’ again as well” Dukat replied.
“Never mind the sarcasm you idiot, what happened???” Karadis shouted.
“We don’t have time for that now, once we’ve dealt with the Keldons, I’ll explain” Dukat said, “How about you put a pin in your anger and follow the plan, mmmmh?”
Karadis seethed with utter rage, but managed to stop herself from trying to throttle her supposed friend.
“It better be good, and you better have a reason for all this shit! she said, waving at the Cardassian ships onscreen. Then she jabbed her finger under his nose, “then you and me have words…in private!” she finished, and stormed back to the Operations console.
“Right, I’m about to give the order to beam me back, then the fire order, I suggest you ready yourselves for what comes next” he finished.
TBC...
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