K'Retalra Mission 4: Cover
Reports plucked from SubSpace By Keith Dunn
Restarc forever undefeated
“This is impossible. He asks too much of us.”
K’Ratalra looked up from the many PADD’s scattered over the desk and watched K’Rontep stride around the wardroom. He had been like this for about an hour, ever since the meeting with the General. Arms waving, spilling blood wine and bits of pipeous claw all over the room.
“Do you know how many cubes it took to defeat the Earther fleet? ONE JUST ONE!! It went through them like a Ferengi through some one’s credit account. He wants us to take on five!!”
K’Ratalra leant back against the wall, “Do you want to disavow the mission?”
“Disa...disa...WHAT!!! JUST THINK OF THE SONGS THAT WILL BE SUNG OF US WHEN WE SUCCEED. You, of course, have some ideas.”
K’Ratalra grinned savagely and raised a P.A.D.D,
“Tactical log of the I.K.V.ghop ta ‘VoDleh
354th day in the year of Kahless 1000
Lt comm. K’Ratalra Sutia Restarc recording
"We are looking in to the mouth of the Fek’lhr. We are to run interference against 5 Borg vessels. We are allowed 3 B’rel class birds of prey. We need captains that can think on their feet with limited recourses. Cargo space is being cleared for enlarged torpedo / probe storage areas. Probes are being prepared with special payloads and a few surprises. Course has been set for starbase Olympus where we shall collect the bird’s of prey and all the supplies.”
K’Rontep stalked on to the bridge, “1st officer. Status. “
Dorff looked up from his panels, “Crew replacements are all aboard. K’Ratalra’s special supplies are all secured. The fleet are at station keeping and we await your command.”
K’Rontep looked towards K’Ratalra, “Is everything secured?”
“All containment fields are in place. Variable gravity has been fitted to cargo bay 2.”
K’Rontep stood by his command chair, “Today we will fly in to history!”
He took his seat and muttered, “One way or another.” Spinning the chair round, “Science opens a channel to the taskforce. All ships. We await the Fek’lhr’s pleasure. QAP’LAR!!”
The ships formed up in a diamond shaped pattern. As one, the ships pivoted on the starboard wing Soared over the top of the starbase and streaked in to infinity.
Tactical log supplemental
We are currently on route to the Caladen system at warp 5 to rendezvous with the I.K.V. Hegh qaD. From there we will travel to the Kotomo system at maximum warp and engage the Borg. While the Bird of prey fleet runs interference against the cubes, the Hegh qaD will beam up the remaining civilians.
This will be the supreme test of my skills and abilities and will prove that my recent honorific is justified.
“Helm come to within 5 Kellicams of the Hegh qaD. Send General K’Batlh that all is prepared. All we await is glory.”
The viewscreen flickered on revealing the grizzled face of the General “Is every thing prepared?”
K’Rontep settled back in his chair, steepled his hands and barked, “Tactical.”
K’Ratalra stepped forward, “All captains chosen have records of formulating stratagems in crisis situations and have been given leeway and materials to do so. It is unwise to inform command of the precise nature of the plans in case of assimilation. All vessels have improved self-destruct systems in case of assimilation”.
A smile of savage amusement crept on to K’Ratalra’s face, “All captains have been guaranteed 12 bottles of Romulan ale to be drunk at TY’Gokor.”
“Have they indeed. As always you have made excellent preparations. We shall see what happens when we face the enemy. Qap’la!”
“K’Rontep to all ships. Form up around the Hegh qaD. Set course for Kotomo 9. Best speed at your command General”.
“GhoS”
The birds of prey swooped in behind the Neg’Var class ship. Forming a pyramid formation with the Hegh qaD at its head. Then the taskforce majestically spun and accelerated in to the explosive light of an activated warp drive.
Tactical log I.K.V.gohp ta’ VoDleh
360th day in the year of Kahless 1000
Lt comm. K’Ratalra suti Restarc recording
“We are 5 minutes from Kotomo 9. Ships status is at red alert and we are travailing under cloak. Final systems check is being conducted on the gravity systems in cargo bay 2.”
“Helm, tactical plan Fek’lhr. Tactical Position of the Borg cubes.”
“3 cubes in orbit. They appear to be harvesting the planet, 2 others are on patrol at the edge of system. The General is seeding the area around the second moon with telemetry satellites as per instructions”.
“Acknowledged. All Birds of prey choose your targets, Let the sounds of battle rock the pillars of Stov vor kor. Decloak.”
Tactical log Supplemental
“WE have engaged the Borg.”
“Helm cut across the X axis. Fire upon anything that looks vital.”
“They are attempting to lock on tractor beams.”
“Allow them to, do not attempt shield rotation.”
“They’ve locked on! Shields draining 80%-65%”.
“Helm rotate the ship so that cargo bay 2 is facing the Borg.”
“Opening bay 2”.
“In position “.
“Reversing bay gravity, dropping atmosphere containment field. Pay load away.”
“Full impulse as soon as the tractor beams fails”.
A small light opened in the rear section of the bird of prey and the contents of the cargo bay was sucked towards the cube by the Borg tractor beam.
“Romulan engine core is away. The containment field for the quanitenum singularity is falling. Tractor beam has failed.”
“FULL IMPULSE NOW!”
The front section of the cube distorted as if the image was beginning to drain down the plughole. Explosions began to flare across the surface and interior of the cube. Then the front section ripped free. It seemed to hover, spin, floating in space. Then was pulled inside itself. As the imploding singularity burnt itself out.
“We seem to have got their attention. All Borg cubes are heading to this location.”
“Understood. Inform the taskforce to pull back and regroup around the 6th planet. If the Borg follow, signal the HeghqaD to begin.”
The ships spun in a crazed dance around the 2 remaining cubes, trading green bolts and beams. With a distorted shimmer, 2 more Borg coalesced out of warp space. The 4 birds of prey pirouetted round on to the same heading and warped away. The Borg cubes seemed to hesitate, gather themselves and leap to eternity.
“General K’Batlh has acknowledged.”
“Captain K’Rontep to all ships in the taskforce takes up positions...
“WAR, BLOOD, DEATH, RUMPY PUMPY, VICTORY! !”
The birds of prey orientated themselves in orbit around Kotomo 6. Space rippled and 4 Borg cubes roared out of the fabric of space. Blue, green destructive beams soon began to light the darkness of space.
“They’re trying to lock on tractor beams.”
“Begin shield frequency rotation. Tactical stand ready with your probes. Helm bring us round to the Y axis.”
“Firing torpedo spread with probe A.”
The ghop ta’VoDleh streaked over the surface of the Borg ship, firing repeated flaring orange bolts. 4 torpedoes buried themselves deep in to the skin of the cube. The 5th exploded before reaching its target, releasing an incandescent cloud. That was immediately sucked up by a blue tractor beam. Which then flickered, fluted and died.
“Energised particles have clogged that tractor location. Reading probe B.”
“Understood, Helm bring us around, attack pattern Molor’s Lament.”
“I.K.V. chargh jach is trying to trap a cube in a static warp bubble.”
A huge distortion, like a giant soap bubble boiled its way through space. As the distortion hit the cube there was a burst of rainbow light. The Borg ship wavered and shimmered like an image in a heat weave, to finally vanish like a passing dream or nightmare. The next minute the chargh jach is transfixed from above and behind by a blue, yellow beam. The beam remained solid and true. Suddenly a green, yellow disrupter beam smashes through the shield flare caused by the tractor beam. There is a couple of seconds as both systems attempt to out do each other. Then the bird of prey erupts in an expanding glowing cloud of plasma, flame and skeletal metal.
“It seems that our statues has been updated from assimilation to elimination”.
“Inform the Hegh qaD to get a move on or the next meal we enjoy will be from a data energy Borg linkage”.
Suddenly the bridge shuddered and darkened. Illuminated only from the flickering light as main power arced its way across the bridge. Then the explosion burst upon them, picking them up and then dashing them to the deck. The main lights flickered wildly, intermittently illuminating thick of black/ grey smoke ripe with the smell of ozone. K’Ratalra scrabbled across the ruined and buckled bridge, moved the crumpled body off the panel and tried some of the controls “Helm’s down”.
As K’Ratalra made his way back to his station other people began to pick themselves up off the deck.
K’Rontep lurched upright, his arm twisted at an odd angel (either broken or dislocated) and staggered to his seat “Status?”
The engineer pulled himself up and checked his console “Main power’s out, auxiliary coming on line, hull breach on deck 2,to 4, section 17 to 23. Plasma fires contained on deck 8, section 4 to 12. Patching helm control to tactical panel”.
The bird of prey span end over end, like a broken toy discarded by the Borg. Holes had been punched through the wings. The main hull was streaked black. A glittering trail marked where the ship had been, due to the escaping atmosphere and plasma fires.
The main lights flickered once more and then stabilised. The control panels stooped scrolling and the main screen cleared of static.
K’Rontep tucked his mangled arm inside his sash “It appears that Engineering is still with us, Tactical pursue!”
“Full impulse, bringing torpedo launcher back on line, charging disrupters”.
“Captain! The General reports he is in position and stands ready to complete the final phase of the mission”.
“K’Rontep to all remaining ship’s proceed to Kotomo 9,2”.
The ghop ta’ VoDleh with plasma fires still burning brightly orientated itself on to a new heading and limped away, it was joined by only one other bird of prey. Both shot to the relative safety of warp space. The 3 seemingly undamaged Borg ships quickly followed. Leaving behind a cloud of cooling debris that once was a ship and a third bird of prey, with a ripped open bridge and engineering section. Lifeless and spinning dead in space.
The birds of prey ripped out of the explosive flare of warp space and took up position in the starfleet /Klingon fleet that seemed to hang there.
K’Rontep leaned further forward in his seat, “let us whether these Borg are like the Horta worm unable to let go when they taste blood”.
K’Ratalra looked up from his panel “Reading a large distortion in subspace. Hegh qaD reports that they are readying the Omega device”.
Space erupted depositing the three Borg cubes, which rapidly orientated them selves against the fleet. One cube opened fire. When its beams passed through a ship with out harming it the rest quickly focused on the birds of prey that remained from the earlier battle.
“It seams that the holo-satellites haven’t fooled them. Tactical fire at will”.
“Magnasite torpedoes, Full spread, torpedoes away.... Direct hit
5 orange /golden ball’s flared out of the bird to slam in to the lead cube, burying them selves deep. There was a large whoosh of gas as large amounts of Magnasite vaporised in to highly corrosive gas (in its liquid form it can eat its way through pure duredium).
“Sensors register that the Magnasite is effecting the structure of the cube”.
“Tactical, Kang’s gambit from my mark”.
“Sir, the Hegh qaD is decloaking”.
“All hands stand by, Helm best possible speed at my mark. Engineering we will needing warp speed”.
The Negh Var battle ship shimmered in to existence all weapons primed. It let off a devastating salvo of disrupters and torpedoes aimed at the remaining cubes. Before a flare of light illuminated a bay on the under side of the ship.
A huge bolt of blue /violet energy streaked out between the ships. Missing them completely. Instead it struck the 2nd moon with all it reality ripping force.
Red cracks rapidly spread over the surface of the planetoid. The Hegh qaD fired again, this time reality did rip. Swirling destructive energies over took the cubes causing secondary explosions in front of the standing energy wave. The 3 remaining Klingon ships gathered them selves and leaped to a warp space explosion.
Smoke hung in pools of light. The sounds of revelry echoed around the hall. At one table 5 figures had their heads tilted back in a cry for the dead. After they retook their seats Gowron grabbed the bottle of Romulan ale and poured ample measures for himself General K’Batlh, Captain’s K’Rontep, K’Reth and tactical officer K’Ratalra. The debriefing carried on long in to the night where the Romulan ale and blood wine flowed.
THE END
No one was harmed during the making of this story
But the ghop ta’ voDleh had did have her wings clipped