Driven Away
Posted on Thu Oct 8th, 2015 @ 1:54pm by Captain Julius Whitlam & Commander Elliot Drake & Lieutenant Commander Alexander Gunning
Mission:
First Strike
Location: Main Bridge
[ON]
“Marines are on the ground, Captain,” Lieutenant Sovar reported. The Vulcan operations officer’s voice sounded as calm and collected as it would if this were a training simulation and not a shooting war.
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Whitlam replied, standing with his hands clasped behind his back in the middle of the bridge.
The insertion operation had gone smoothly, though he was worried about the security detail. They were in capable hands being paired with marines, but many of them would never have seen this kind of combat before. He kept telling himself that they were professionals and they could handle it, but of course the doubts persisted.
Suddenly an alarm from the tactical console broke the captain’s train of thought and made him whip around to face the relief tactical officer. “Report?”
Keva Hyland turned to the Captain with a grave expression on her face. "Three Jem'Hadar ships have broken off from the battle and are inbound sir."
“They’re going to try and drive us off!” Whitlam said, returning to his seat. “Tell the Koraga and Mok’tal to move to intercept. Delay those Jem’Hadar ships for as long as they can. Signal the flagship; request reinforcements.”
The ensign transmitted the message to the Birds of Prey and within moments they were giving the Jem'Hadar ships a run for their money, twisting, turning and tearing lumps out of the stronger ships. The Klingons might not have the toughest vessels, but they were certainly the most nimble in the fight. Keva wondered if they could even out-manoeuvre the Peregrine fighters.
"Reinforcements inbound, Captain!" She reported as the text relay from the flagship fired back - they had dispatched them but god only knew if they'd reach them in time. The Koraga and Mok'tal were starting to flag and the constant fire from the Jem'Hadar cannons was taking its toll. Keva tried to run a quick scan of the Mok'tal on her alternate screen. "The Mok'tal's weapons are offline sir!"
It was always going to be a delaying tactic, Whitlam knew that. Even so, the actions of those Klingons would have an impact on the outcome of this battle. They landed some hits; that would make the Jem'Hadar easier to hold off. They bought some time; that would give the reinforcements a chance to catch up. It all mattered, every decision counted. And now Whitlam had to make another decision. He watched the Jem'Hadar warships now moving toward the Manoora, having finished their work with the Klingons and he knew there was only one option.
A tactical retreat. Only until they could shake the attackers. But it still felt wrong to give the orders. "Helm, break orbit. Take us to bearing zero-seven-three, mark two-nine." As Sel'alla laid in the course, Whitlam stood and faced Keva at Tactical. "We're going to have to fight them on the run until reinforcements arrive."
Keva acknowledged his order with a stoic expression spread thick across her face. Behind her eyes though, things were moving at 100 miles an hour. How the hell was she going to fight off Jem'Hadar warships with her tail turned to them, without the full force of the Manoora's torpedo tubes coming down to bear on them. It didn't matter, those were her orders and if she died carrying them out, at least she'd have done her duty. She gulped down the lump in her throat.
The captain tapped his commbadge and said, "Manoora to Commander Drake."
The response from the other end of the channel was shaky. Rumbles and explosions made up the background noise. "Drake here, Manoora. Go ahead."
"Elliot, we're about to be overrun up here," Whitlam said, his tone softening slightly as he spoke to his old friend for what he hoped would not be the last time. "The admiral is sending reinforcements, but I'm going to have to break orbit before they get here. We'll fight the Jem'Hadar off and get back as soon as we can, but for the moment you're on your own down there."
There was a long pause from the other end of the comm while the commander considered his circumstances. "Understood, Captain. We'll do our best to manage until you get back.
The long pause as his friend processed the news inflamed the guilt Whitlam felt at having to make this decision. It was the right decision, he knew that. But he didn't have to like it. "Stay safe, Number One," he said, trying to make his tone as light as possible. "We'll be back before you know it."
Captain Julius Whitlam
Commanding Officer
Commander Elliot Drake
Executive Officer
Ensign Keva Hyland (NPC: Gunning)
Security Officer
