continued from above...A short moment later, the ship strained sickeningly to the left and let out a horrible moaning scream that reverberated through every bulkhead, steel girder and deck plate on the ship. The warp engines briefly created a warp field to negate some of the mass as she spun. The impulse engines flared angrily and sent searing white hot plasma streaking into space behind her. The
Molly Hatchet now had her quarry in plain sight and she bared down upon it teeth clenched fury and all.
The Dreadnought had dropped a mine to detonate the scatterpack drones, but seeing that the Molly Hatchet had turned around in an HET manuever and was bearing down on her, the Dread banked around and to the left in a counter manuever to bring it's S-torp to bear. Homing in on this new vector, the drones missed the mine and continued on unaffected.
"Shuttlebays, launch Vulture II's on attack run. Helm engage level 3 tractor, this Gorn isn't using her suicide shuttles today. Fire Drones! Science station, match EW."
"S Torpedo launch detected. Range 14 and closing!" Yelled one of the bridge crew officers.
"Steady as she goes..." He commanded. "Let it come", Dizzy whispered to himself, his eyes narrowed, his prey staring back at him on his viewer.
BOOM! "Forward Port screen down!", reported the helmsman. "She's turning away from us, Captain and gaining speed. We can't catch her. Range 8... We're losing her, range now 9... I don't have power for weapons and movement, sir!"
'I need speed,' Dizzy thought... "Fire all Photons!"
The damaged photon launcher fired wide, but even at range 9, the other bay's two photon torpedoes slammed into the rear shield of the Gorn ship, yet did not penetrate its massive shield screen.
"Maximum speed to engines, take the photons offline. Over run the Gorn." Dizzy hit his comms switch, "Engineering, pour every damned watt of power this ship has into her engines! If I see so much as of a bulb lit somewhere it isnt needed, I'm coming down there with the gloves off!" Dizzy threatened. He watched his viewscreen as the Dreadnought banked to the right.
"She's coming round!" The navigator warned. "The Dreadnought is looking for a Starboard firing solution. She will open up any second!"
"Desperation... He understands his situation, but not my understanding of it. By firing a plasma torp he's trying to get me to break off my pursuit, but his plasma is spent", Dizzy said to no one in particular. "Helm, steady as she goes..."
Dizzy noted the timer index. Elasped time since that starboard tube fired is too short for anything but a Pseudo. Sure enough a Plasma S Torpedo screamed toward them. Closer it came till it nearly filled the viewscreen blocking out the stars. "Hold course," Dizzy reassured the crew. Seconds later the yellow ball of plasma hit the shields breaking apart harmlessly turning out to be nothing more than a super heated plasma shell, a pseudo.The Gorn ploy backfired as the slow turn radius of the massive Gorn ship allowed the Molly Hatchet to close the distance considerably.
"Stay on course, tractor beam ready. Shuttle Bay, prepare to launch another scatterpack. Transporter chief, prepare a team to take out the heavy weapons!" Dizzy edged forward on his command chair biting his lower lip as he saw the range index drop. 5 clicks, 4... 3... ever closer now... "Drop Scatterpack!" I've got you now, you damned dirty green skinned lizzards!
As the tractor beam locked on and gripped the Dreadnought in a vice, the Molly Hatchet dropped movement power to zero and opened up on the Gorn's weakend rear shield, broke through damaging the aft hull with a phaser volley. Two more drones leapt out of their launchers as the fighters streaked by firing photons, phasers and their mini-drones.
The Gorn Dread slowly heeled around to the left, its shields absorbing the fighter damage and it returned fire with all phasers on the Molly Hatchet. The uncoordinated mizia phaser volley split fire over the Molly Hatchets forward and port screens nearly taking down both but failed to penetrate either.
For the Captains and crews of both ships, time now began to crawl and seconds felt like minutes as many things began to happen at once that, in very short time, would determine the victor.
The massive Gorn vessel struggled against the tractor beam successfully turning to port so that its R torpedo had come to bear. In the few seconds that torpedo took to cross the short distance of space that seperated the two ships didn't allow time for one to see the tail of the torpedo leave the launcher before it slammed full force into the Molly Hatchet's depleted forward shield.
Dizzy watched helplessly in gross miscalculation and horror as his prey unexpectedly struck back. The plasma R torpedo viciously slammed into the front saucer section. The crew were thrown like ragdolls on everthing between the ceiling and the metal deck plates below. Enviornment systems were knocked offline and the bridge temperature soared as the plasma wave rolled over the bridge exterior leaving the air nearly too hot to breath. Lights flickered and died, computer controls spewed sparks and caught fire, sensors melted, chaos and darkeness reigned supreme in the wake of the impact. The the plasma had cut through the forward saucer like a knife through butter.
A deafening roar raced through the rest of the ship deafening all as the plasma ate effortlessly through solid bulkhead, girders and superstructure. Escaping gases exposed to vacuum breifly froze then were swallowed by buring plasma.
The damage came in several waves. The first melted through the forward saucer. The forward part of the ship threatened to buckle from the heat and fold in on itself as it was devoured by plasma but it quickly cooled as the cold of space followed in its wake. What was left that wasn't consumed whole took on unrecognizable shapes far from what it was. Scarred, blackened and twisted it had been demonized beyond recognition.
"Emergency power! Lights! Someone get the enviorment controls back on!" Dizzy panted. The air was thin and hot. It stung his mouth and lungs. He managed to pick himself up in the dark and reached out for the railing. It nearly burned his hand. He let go with a yelp and fell backwards hitting the navigator console rolling up and over then back down on the deck plates with a thud. Was gravity knocked offline? The ship's gravity generators fluctuated attempting to compensate for the impact and regain stability. The sudden lurching disoriented everyone turning what would be simply standing up into an impossible acrobatic feat . Dazed, Dizzy bent over and wretched. He felt several trickles of sweat running down the side of his face, or was it blood, he wondered?
Fighting the sickening dizziness he glanced up at what was left of the blown out viewscreen. He surveyed the rest of the bridge and his wandering eyes came to focus on the science station, the only console area still functioning with power as emergency lighing flickered on. "Transfer navigation and weapons controls to the science station. Prepare to return fire! Bring us around to bear our rear shields! Can we get a damage report? What still works? How bad are we hurt?" Dizzy now noticed there were only a few bridge personnel on their feet and rushed over to help the others who were still concious to get up.
While the Molly Hatchet glowed red, the Gorn beamed out a mine to detonate the approaching drones, but because of their proximity, the mine never armed and the drones impacted the Dreadnought with brutal force. Internal explosions blew clear through to the other side of the ship blowing a debris cloud opposite the impact. The Molly Hatchet's fighters flew nimbly through the floating shards of ship debris and launched more photons and drones at the now moderately damaged Dread.
One salvo of drones found a downed screen shredding that side of the outer hull from top to bottom.
Meanwhile, combat status and damage reports for the Molly Hatchet began comming up.
- Gorn ship still tractored. Phaser crews firing independently.
- heavy damage to forward saucer superstructure.
- heavy damage to transporters, forward phaser banks, lab stations and batteries.
- general system failures and hull breaches on upper decks.
- light crew fatalities, but no reports from the forward saucer section. Heavy casualties expected...
The damage seemed far worse at first than it really was. Most of the vital combat and power systems were still operational. Many of the bridge computer systems had failed, but power and function was rerouted through auxillary control.
"Damnit, get that enviornment system back online or we'll have to evac to the engineering auxillary bridge and we don't have the time! Medical teams, to the bridge!"
"Helm, we'll need to keep turning a new shield to prevent a phaser penetration. Keep rotating us around and get some distance from her. Last thing we need is a sneaky suicide shuttle impact or get caught in a ship explosion if that Gorn loses its warp core. Tiers, reinforce aft shields and try to get those forward shields up! Scan that Gorn ship and turn off that tractor beam when we have an opposite course vector."
The Molly Hatchet shuddered again from phaser volley impacts. The Gorn was now firing sporadically.
"Enviornment systems back online." Tiers stated. Fresh cool air hissed through the one working vent. The turbolift door was jammed open by the medical team and that allowed the hot air to escape. "Shields stabilizing... Scanning the Gorn now, Captain. Main sensors offline. Auxillary sensors working but are not accurate, Captain. Error rate is plus or minus 20 percent."
"Give me what you got, Tiers." Dizzy breathed a little easier as the temperature dropped.
"I read 75% power loss, most weapon hardpoints destroyed. Severe hull breaches. Seems they are barely hanging on, Captain, but no way to be sure," he said with uncertainly.
"Thats good news, I hope that holds true. Shuttle bay, do you read us?"
"Yes Captain! Ensign Mathews here, sir. Are you guys okay up there? Internal readouts arn't giving us much. It's as if the whole forward section of the saucer is missing."
"I wouldn't doubt it, Ensign. I need you to get in touch with the fighter crews. I need an update on their sitrep and that of the Gorn. I want to know the combat status of that Gorn ship."
"Aye, Captain. Let me see if I can get you direct comms with Fighter Squadron Bravo Leader. Standby..." Mathews left the audio channel on and could be heard talking to the flight leader of Bravo Squadron. "Captain, Okay, I have the flight leader, Commander Sabo of Bravo Squadron on the line. Go ahead Captain, You are punched in." Mathews said.
Static popped through the line from a phaser shot.
"Commander Sabo, this is the Captain. Please give me the status of the Gorn ship, our sensors are down. We can't get an accurate readout and are still being fired upon."
"Copy that, sir. Commander Sabo of Bravo Squadron here. Glad to hear from you! I didn't think the bridge made it. From what I can see of the saucer from my cockpit right now, the bridge area is blackened and we can't see any lights off your port side."
"It's a furnace in here, but we made it luckily enough, commander. The Gorn?"
"Roger that, sir. Sporadic fire from the Gorn shouldn't penetrate even minimal shields anymore.. From my vantage point, I'm passing round the port bow now, that ship is so full of holes she wouldn't hold water. Right now we can make a final pass if you wish, but I don't think it would survive. Sir, we also got lucky and landed a lot of drones and torps on her. We hit her hard. She is starting to list out of control. I don't think they have engine power. Looks like she is still venting atmosphere as well. What do you want us to do? We are gathering our formation for another pass."
Dizzy paused with relief upon hearing that and turned to face his beat up bridge crew. Most of those that weren't were being attended to by medical personnel were up and alert. They all looked back at him waiting. Gazing into their brave eyes he commended them. "We got hurt bad, but damn fine job team, damn fine job." Dizzy slowly walked around the bridge, one hand holding the railing, the other wiping sweat and blood from his head on his arm sleeve. "Helm, swing us around to deliver the final blow."
"Aye Captain. Helm is sluggish but responding. Coming around now."
"Commander Sabo, stand down. Excellent job. Your flying saved this ship and won us the day no doubt. Look forward to commendations for you and your squadron mates. I want a full debriefing. I let you know when..."
"Copy that, Captain. And thank you, sir! Just doing our job. Sabo out.
"Ensign Mathews, prepare to receive fighters for repair and rearming. We may yet need them. Unlikely though..."
"Aye Captain. Shuttle bay ready for recall. Mathews out."
"Repair teams, this is the captian. I need a Repair Team to the saucer section. Who is available?" Dizzy touched the command chair seat. It was still too hot to sit down. The buttons of his officer jacket stubornly unfastened. Dropping it on the deck, he knelt down upon it He was too wearisome from heat to stand any longer with one knee.
"RT2 responding, Captain. We are free for the moment. But, uhh, what part of the saucer, sir?"
"Good question, RT2. I'm not sure. All of it maybe? Why don't you start when you get off the turbo lift and go from there? I don't know what's left. Try and pick up a medical team to go with you. I want to help out the survivors asap."
"Copy that, sir. My team and I are on the way. We will let you know what we find, or what we don't. I'll grab a medical team to tag along. RT2 out."
At the comms stations, Leuitenant Peters turned and said, "Captain, I'm detecting a transmission from the Gorn ship." She looked at her controls and toggled some switches. "The universal translator is damaged, but from what I'm making out... It sounds like they are saying... It's Fleet Admiral SSSSSSSSssscipio, sir. He wants to discuss surrender."
"A Fleet Admiral..." Dizzy grinned, this just keeps getting better he thought. "On viewer." The auxillary viewer displayed what was left of the Gorn ships bridge and crew. A very large and hideous Gorn face stared back at them defiantly. "Ahh, Fleet Admiral Scipio, nice to see you. You're not looking so good..."
Garbled and Unintelligible hissing sounds played out on the ships speakers from a damaged universal translator.
"I will, of course abide by the geneva protocol and send you back to your homeland." Dizzy turned toward Leuitenant Peters and gestured to mute audio. "Come round to course 330 mark 4 and lock phasers on target." Dizzy gestured again to resume audio. "I just want to compliment you on a battle well fought and tell you how much of a delight it was to defeat you on your maiden voyage into Federation space. You should know we don't like uninvited guests."
More unintelligible garbled hissing sounds...
"What's that? Well anyway, 'twas nice talking with you, Fleet Admiral Scipio. Now, I will send you back to your homeland..." Dizzy smiled and nodded toward the weapons officer then looked back at the viewscreen. "...In pieces. Fire!"
More garbled hissing sounds, much louder though...
Phaser fire arced across space and sliced through the Dreadnoughts hull cutting into the engine core. The Dreadnought lit up inside like a sun and exploded outward in every direction.
Dizzy finally let out a sigh of relief. "Helmsman, plot a course for the nearest freighter. We have a convoy to escort." Dizzy pressed a key on his armrest. "Transporter chief, see what you can do to find me some floatin lizards. I'd like to see about making me a new pair of boots. I'll meet you and seamstress Fliess in cargo bay three."
Dizzy sat back in his command chair, the leather finally cool enough not to be uncomfortable. He surveyed his damaged bridge and took pride in the fact it could have been worse. Looking over the damage reports, the Molly Hatchet would need several weeks of dry dock at the least, but that in exchange for a Gorn Dreadnought... It doesn't get any sweeter.
Or maybe it does... "Leuitenant Peters, hail that frieghter. I want to personally inspect that ships cargo" Dizzy grinned an evil grin. "And send message to StarFleet Command that we have intercepted and destroyed their finest ship and attach the battle report and my log entry." That should help boost the 'flagging moral' Fleet Captain Wanderer was so concerned about. Now I've just got to figure out how to explain how these 'war spoils' are going to disappear...
"Aye captain. Which freighter, sir?" asked Leuitenant Peters.
"The one with the uhhh.. Two Orion Slave Girls and the crate of Romulan Ale. I want to personally inspect the mechandise to make sure it wasn't ummm... damaged. Yeah, so have them brought to my quarters Asap. Thanks..." Dizzy started off towards the turbolift but turned around. "Yeah, and uhh lets have those Hot Tubs tested too. Put one in my cabin the other in my ready room, just move that table out of there and, yeah, That will be good." Dizzy stepped inside the turbolift. "Ok then... carry on. Leuitenant Tiers, you have the con."
It's good to be in the Federation, Dizzy thought as the turbolift doors closed.
Topic: <looking for>AOTK stories & stuff? (Read 3345 times)