Season 15: Episode 1 - Dominion Rising pt 1

[Emperor J.B Dersch]

[Gamma Battle Bridge | USS Discovery (Gamma hull)]
"œThank you ensign. We'll show "˜em what we're made of". Dem winced as the kindly officer said that. We he really showing that much worry and fear? From then on Dem committed himself to have a sharper and more conservative exterior. He should be a symbol of hope. The Op's officer, Tara, then cautiously spoke.
"œLieutenant, a coded transmission from the Challenger has informed us of the station's armament. They pack quite a punch."
Dem looked over to the young officer. "œUnderstood. Be ready."

Dersch readied all weapons and stood at Guard to lock and fire.  He was glad he had said that, He knew what a few words could do to someone with this amount of stress. A Few Words could go a long way and Dersch knew what it could do, Either at home or At work. And Star Fleet has had a Few could 10 word speeches that have went further than between the two People.

[Dranik]

[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)]

"Mr. Dranik.  Be prepared to make use of this information when targeting the station."

Dranik simply nodded as he kept a close eye on the station. He had studied the specifications of a normal Nor class station shortly after joining Starfleet along with many other Cardassian vessels and stations. He was not however familiar with the technology of the modified Nor station in front of him. Borg technology was often difficult to come by.

He had also heard whispers of what the Dominion had done to the Cardassian people at the end of the Dominion War. How a Cardassian could justify working with Jem'hadar solders or the Dominion in general was beyond him. A traitor to his own kind. Dranik thought as he continued monitoring the station.

[Jael Sherem]

[Bridge / USS Challenger]
Kina forced herself to smile. Sherem was one of those stuck in the old ways, the old Cardassia. But her home changed from the war, it was different, better. He wanted to return Cardassia back to a Dominion stronghold, and she would first break her oath and kill every single Jem'hadar with him than let Cardassia go back to the way it was.

She looked at him and kept her calm. "œThat's rather humorous, because from what I am seeing, my father is the only one not talking in insanities. However given the company you're currently keeping, one would have to assume you are." She gripped the PADD tight, anger was flowing through her. She was ready to snap, and when he spoke down to a hero, it happened.

Kina's eyes and voice became hard as she glared at Sherem. "œElim Garak is more of a Cardassian than you will ever be. And my father stood up against the Dominion when our people attacked Rodman III. My father proved his loyalty to our people. As well as every Cardassian who died freeing us. And you stand there with the same"¦..things that killed our people. You are no Cardassian."

[USS Discovery - Deck 1 - Main Bridge]

The Bajoran stood there, defiantly, not speaking and not reacting.  The same defiant stance that many of his people held in the latter days of the Occupation; when the tides had turned.  He took the hits in stride, not even reacting to his own people speaking.  He was just letting the Cardassian coil the rope he was using to hang himself.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, Sheram.  Dukat failed to learn that lesson and it cost him his life. You are presently on that same path." he stated, standing at rest as he spoke quietly and carefully.

"As you have stated you are unaffiliated with Cardassia, I no longer have to treat you as a representative of Cardassia.  Which means you are forfeited any and all rights afforded to rogue military elements.  Both the Federation and the new Cardassia have strict laws in regard to pirates.  So I will afford you the opportunity once to leave this system and turn yourself in to Cardassia.  Otherwise, we will be forced to act in defense.  And trust me when I say that Discovery is no mere rebel ship." he said, allowing just that one hint of acid in his voice.

[Lieutenant JG Jael Sherem | Bridge | Deck One | USS Discovery NCC-78393-B]

Jael perked up at the impassioned declaration in support of Garak...but still, Jael always regarded Garak's involvement in Damar's resistance as the most heroic support the man ever made. The only reason her mother never returned to Cardassia to assist Damar was that she had enjoyed settling on Earth, though she did admit, she found Damar's anti-Dominion speeches rousing, and would always still smirk at the irony. Old Man Sherem, on the other hand, only curled his lips and hardened his eyes.

"Traitors. All of them, and Damar was the worst of them all. I curse the day Dukat made him, who was but a lowly freighter man, his right hand," he growled. Turning back to Tekin, he retorted, "The only difference between me and Dukat was that Dukat was an impassioned fool who especially let the Bajoran religion get the best of him. That is why I am still here."

At Tekin's offer to surrender, Sherem only looked around at his Ops, his expression and body language like as if, in his view, Tekin had asked a predictably stupid offer - on the other hand, the old man, like many Occupation-era Cardassians, always viewed Bajorans as inferior, fit only for enslavement. Then he laughed mockingly, and everybody except the Jem'Hadar laughed with him.

"Leave and turn myself into Cardassia?" he chortled, both mirthlessly and mockingly. "I've seen how the Prometheus class works, but even three separate hulls are not enough against me? And you to defend yourself? You'll try to make me turn tail, let alone face me? You and what navy?"

Suddenly, Tactical let out a beeping. Jael looked down at the sensors and gasped in surprise. "Captain, a trio of Inquiry-class starships have just dropped out of warp off the port bow...and another ship has just dropped out of slipstream..."

According to the sensors, the arriving ship was a huge Odyssey-class starship, the USS Davis, which easily extended barely as long as both Challenger and Beta Hull of Discovery combined. What was more...

"Two more ships have dropped out of warp just a lightyear behind the Inquiry-starships," added Jael. "Signatures identify them as the Shamshir and the Lich Lord. They'll be catching up, soon."

Jael looked up at the viewscreen and began returning his trademark sneer back at him. Three ships was one thing, but two squadrons of medium-to-large starships could even the odds a little.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)]

[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)]

"Mr. Dranik.  Be prepared to make use of this information when targeting the station."

Dranik simply nodded as he kept a close eye on the station. He had studied the specifications of a normal Nor class station shortly after joining Starfleet along with many other Cardassian vessels and stations. He was not however familiar with the technology of the modified Nor station in front of him. Borg technology was often difficult to come by.

He had also heard whispers of what the Dominion had done to the Cardassian people at the end of the Dominion War. How a Cardassian could justify working with Jem'hadar solders or the Dominion in general was beyond him. A traitor to his own kind. Dranik thought as he continued monitoring the station.

Not having heard an acknowledgement of his order from the Hirogen, Rayek looked over his shoulder, behind him, to where the tactical station was located.  It was then that Rayek received the silent nod as response.

"Thank you Mr. Dranik. For future reference, I preferring hearing acknowledgement of my orders."

"Traitors. All of them, and Damar was the worst of them all. I curse the day Dukat made him, who was but a lowly freighter man, his right hand," he growled. Turning back to Tekin, he retorted, "The only difference between me and Dukat was that Dukat was an impassioned fool who especially let the Bajoran religion get the best of him. That is why I am still here."

At Tekin's offer to surrender, Sherem only looked around at his Ops, his expression and body language like as if, in his view, Tekin had asked a predictably stupid offer - on the other hand, the old man, like many Occupation-era Cardassians, always viewed Bajorans as inferior, fit only for enslavement. Then he laughed mockingly, and everybody except the Jem'Hadar laughed with him.

"Leave and turn myself into Cardassia?" he chortled, both mirthlessly and mockingly. "I've seen how the Prometheus class works, but even three separate hulls are not enough against me? And you to defend yourself? You'll try to make me turn tail, let alone face me? You and what navy?"

Suddenly, Tactical let out a beeping. Jael looked down at the sensors and gasped in surprise. "Captain, a trio of Inquiry-class starships have just dropped out of warp off the port bow...and another ship has just dropped out of slipstream..."

According to the sensors, the arriving ship was a huge Odyssey-class starship, the USS Davis, which easily extended barely as long as both Challenger and Beta Hull of Discovery combined. What was more...

"Two more ships have dropped out of warp just a lightyear behind the Inquiry-starships," added Jael. "Signatures identify them as the Shamshir and the Lich Lord. They'll be catching up, soon."

Jael looked up at the viewscreen and began returning his trademark sneer back at him. Three ships was one thing, but two squadrons of medium-to-large starships could even the odds a little.

Rayek received notification from Lieutenant Banan about the arriving ships.  The Romulan smiled.  One of the Captain's must have called in for reinforcements.  This would give them a fighting chance.

The ship was already at Red Alert, and Tactical already had orders to target for the pylons that protected the transwarp coils.   There was little else Rayek to say to the crew to prepare them for what was likely about to occur - inspiring speeches were not his strength.  Still he open an intercom to the Beta Hull.

"All hands, prepare for battle."

[Zavrol Gohun]

[Engineering - USS Discovery]
Lek heard Gohan's report with great annoyance. He was manually adjusting the power flow between the merged point of impact shields of the two ships, an action the system he invented was never designed to do, and it was delicate work. He really didn't have time for complications, so when he replied, he did so in a tone he wouldn't have normally used.
"Draw power from Challenger's secondary core!"
He snarled quickly and returned to keeping the point of impact shields from turning on each other.

Gohun was ordered to draw power from the secondary core. Gohun put the extra power in and sent repair teams to fix the damage. This is great thngs look great as long as no one jinxes it by asking if there was a problem it should hold. Gohun knew things were holding he just did not know how they were holding.

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)]
"Is there a problem, Ensign?"   Ideally, he shouldn't need to involve himself, but since the station wasn't firing on them and Tekin and this other - Kina - seemed to be engaging the Gul in conversation, that left Rayek with a moment to spare for the engineer.

Gohun "œNo problems sir just structural integrity issues caused from the cables connecting both ships. A repair team is on the way".

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)]
Rayek was still pondering the presence of children on Challenger's bridge when Lieutenant Banan called his attention to a recently received coded transmission.  The Romulan nodded and while he listened to the Captain stand defiantly against the imposing threat of the Nor-classed station, he read through the provided data packet quickly.
It gave a summary of what Sherem had been bragging about earlier.  His Borg technology which gave him access to transwarp.  The data packet also noted it's physical location on the station and even suggested best targeting scenarios.
"This could give us a fighting chance to at least escape," the Romulan remarked quietly to himself, as he highlighted the pertinent information and forwarded the data packet onto the Sec/Tac crewman manning the tactical console.    The Hirogen was something of a unique species to Rayek, so he'd studied the man's personnel record carefully when first coming aboard.
"Mr. Dranik.  Be prepared to make use of this information when targeting the station."
Even as he instructed this, Captain Tekin seemed to be wrapping up his oration.  This was the moment when Sherem would either backdown or commit.   The Romulan gripped his armrest.
"Ensign Gohun, how stable are our shields?"   Would the combined shields hold out long enough if Melek Nor did engage?

Gohun looked around the question was meant to be series so he should answer in a serious tone.
Gohun "œ Normally Cardassian Nor stations are built to face entire fleets of ships. That means this ship would have the firepower to destroy 200 or warships and then add Borg technology to the mix. I think it would make short work of this ship even with the shields combined. Our shields can't repel firepower of that magnitude."

[Tekin Nevir]

[Lieutenant JG Jael Sherem | Bridge | Deck One | USS Discovery NCC-78393-B]

Jael perked up at the impassioned declaration in support of Garak...but still, Jael always regarded Garak's involvement in Damar's resistance as the most heroic support the man ever made. The only reason her mother never returned to Cardassia to assist Damar was that she had enjoyed settling on Earth, though she did admit, she found Damar's anti-Dominion speeches rousing, and would always still smirk at the irony. Old Man Sherem, on the other hand, only curled his lips and hardened his eyes.

"Traitors. All of them, and Damar was the worst of them all. I curse the day Dukat made him, who was but a lowly freighter man, his right hand," he growled. Turning back to Tekin, he retorted, "The only difference between me and Dukat was that Dukat was an impassioned fool who especially let the Bajoran religion get the best of him. That is why I am still here."

At Tekin's offer to surrender, Sherem only looked around at his Ops, his expression and body language like as if, in his view, Tekin had asked a predictably stupid offer - on the other hand, the old man, like many Occupation-era Cardassians, always viewed Bajorans as inferior, fit only for enslavement. Then he laughed mockingly, and everybody except the Jem'Hadar laughed with him.

"Leave and turn myself into Cardassia?" he chortled, both mirthlessly and mockingly. "I've seen how the Prometheus class works, but even three separate hulls are not enough against me? And you to defend yourself? You'll try to make me turn tail, let alone face me? You and what navy?"

Suddenly, Tactical let out a beeping. Jael looked down at the sensors and gasped in surprise. "Captain, a trio of Inquiry-class starships have just dropped out of warp off the port bow...and another ship has just dropped out of slipstream..."

According to the sensors, the arriving ship was a huge Odyssey-class starship, the USS Davis, which easily extended barely as long as both Challenger and Beta Hull of Discovery combined. What was more...

"Two more ships have dropped out of warp just a lightyear behind the Inquiry-starships," added Jael. "Signatures identify them as the Shamshir and the Lich Lord. They'll be catching up, soon."

Jael looked up at the viewscreen and began returning his trademark sneer back at him. Three ships was one thing, but two squadrons of medium-to-large starships could even the odds a little.

[USS Discovery - Deck 1 - Main Bridge]

Nevir stood firm, and before he could respond, Ops called out incoming warp signatures... Federation.  Now their two ships were five, and the attention of the Federation was on this particular issue.  He planned to stall long enough for the convoy to get away, but now... now he had the means to support his words.

"As you can see, Gul Sheren, that would be Starfleet.  I gave you an opportunity to solve this in the Federation-approved way.  Now... we'll get a little bit more nostalgic.  Discovery out." he stated, closing the channel.  He took his seat and crossed his legs.

"Target weapons and defenses.  Begin a strafing run on the station.  Let them know we aren't going to be pushed around.  Fire when ready." he stated, giving his order to attack.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)] (upon arrival at AR-558)

"œNo problems sir just structural integrity issues caused from the cables connecting both ships. A repair team is on the way".

Rayek frowned at hearing the engineer's statement.  The Challenger's second core was supposed to be directing all its power to the strengthening the structural integrity.  It was worrisome to hear that even a full core power wasn't quite enough.

"Keep an eye on it and let me know if it worsens."

[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)] (facing down Melek Nor)

Gohun looked around the question was meant to be serious so he should answer in a serious tone.
Gohun "œNormally Cardassian Nor stations are built to face entire fleets of ships. That means this ship would have the firepower to destroy 200 or warships and then add Borg technology to the mix. I think it would make short work of this ship even with the shields combined. Our shields can't repel firepower of that magnitude."

Rayek hated it when the El-Aurian told him outright that the shields could not repel the firepower of the Nor-class.  Basically, the man was saying they had no chance.

Well, Rayek didn't believe that.  Yes, the station if it were anything like DS9 had an abundance of firepower, with 48 phaser arrays rotary mounted; 36 phaser emitters which were stationary mount; 3 phaser emitters on sliding mounts; and nearly 50 torpedo launchers.  Rayek knew the stats because he'd done the comparison between DS9 and Katra station, when he was first assigned to the Gamma Quadrant frontier station nearly 4 years ago.

However, it was unlikely the station would unleash all that at once.  They should be able to hold out long enough to allow the other ships to flee.

"I think you are underestimating our ingenuity and tenacity.  Do your job and keep those shields up as long as possible."

[USS Discovery - Deck 1 - Main Bridge]

Nevir stood firm, and before he could respond, Ops called out incoming warp signatures... Federation.  Now their two ships were five, and the attention of the Federation was on this particular issue.  He planned to stall long enough for the convoy to get away, but now... now he had the means to support his words.

"As you can see, Gul Sheren, that would be Starfleet.  I gave you an opportunity to solve this in the Federation-approved way.  Now... we'll get a little bit more nostalgic.  Discovery out." he stated, closing the channel.  He took his seat and crossed his legs.

"Target weapons and defenses.  Begin a strafing run on the station.  Let them know we aren't going to be pushed around.  Fire when ready." he stated, giving his order to attack.

Rayek's attention was drawn back to the viewscreen when Tekin made his final statement then closed the channel.   Orders were then filtered through Ops from the Alpha Hull.  This was it!

"Mr. Dranik... we lack maneuverability because of our piggyback'd guest.  Along with targeting those pylons with phaser, I want a full volley of photons detonating between us and the station making it harder for them to target anyone.  Period.  You are weapons free." This had been the plan to obscure targeting for the trader ships... it should work just as well for them.

"Helm, coordinate with Alpha and Gamma Hulls to determine their strafe lines and fill in the gap.  Then send that to rest of the fleet.  We don't want to be hit by friendly-fire."

Lastly, Rayek addressed Ops.  "Mr. Banan, if I know Captain Galloway well-enough, he won't be content to remain reliant on us for manuevability.   He's probably hatching a plan to disconnect the cables.  Since we don't need the cores connected fully for merely powering the shields, have someone begin work on disconnecting the link between the two cores."

"Yessir!"

The Operations Chief opened a comm. "Ensign Lorut, report to the Battle Bridge, on the double!"

Rayek put in a call to Lek in Upper Engineering.

"Heads up, Lek. I'm having Ops disconnect the computer cores.  There's no way Challenger will be content to merely follow in our wake during this battle. Let me know if you've got any other brilliant ideas on how to keep our shields strong enough to get us through this."  

[Dem Broadshire]

[USS Discovery - Deck 1 - Main Bridge]

Nevir stood firm, and before he could respond, Ops called out incoming warp signatures... Federation.  Now their two ships were five, and the attention of the Federation was on this particular issue.  He planned to stall long enough for the convoy to get away, but now... now he had the means to support his words.

"As you can see, Gul Sheren, that would be Starfleet.  I gave you an opportunity to solve this in the Federation-approved way.  Now... we'll get a little bit more nostalgic.  Discovery out." he stated, closing the channel.  He took his seat and crossed his legs.

"Target weapons and defenses.  Begin a strafing run on the station.  Let them know we aren't going to be pushed around.  Fire when ready." he stated, giving his order to attack.

[Gamma Battle Bridge | USS Discovery (Gamma hull)]
"œAye Sir", Dem muttered under his breath. "œTake a run at the station, follow the general course of the alpha hull, Dersh, fire all weapons at your discretion." Dem was filled with a newfound confidence. Now that the waiting on the edge-of-your-seat moments were over, he could just solely focus on dealing a blow to the Cardassians. Well, a titular rebel group of Cardassians.
After Tekin abandoned negotiations, he realised that he forgot his commanding officer was a Bajoran. Many years ago, Dem's family discarded their ways in order to escape the ruthless hold of the Cardassians over his parent's home planet. He was not even born yet. He was born as a refugee on Tamarus V, a small federation colony. That's where he always says his home is.

Historically, he had avoided Bajorans altogether. Many frowned upon his apparent discard of the Bajoran religion, even though the so called celestial temple was found. The kindly captain throwing around phrases like "œthank the prophets" stirred something uncomfortable inside him. Like he had failed his people. He could see how emotionally scarred Sherem was from the totalitarian iron grip of a gul's rule, and even inside the cool exterior of the captain he could see some resentment. But Dem felt nothing. No aggression towards the monsters who persecuted his people for generations. He just saw them as another regular day to day foe. He hoped maybe this battle would redeem him.

[Dranik]

USS Discovery
Beta Hull

"Mr. Dranik... we lack maneuverability because of our piggyback'd guest.  Along with targeting those pylons with phaser, I want a full volley of photons detonating between us and the station making it harder for them to target anyone.  Period.  You are weapons free."

"Aye, sir!" Dranik replied as he began targeting the the closest pylon with the Beta hull's formidable phaser array. He took careful aim at the locations of the allied vessels and where best to launch the photons. "Firing photon torpedoes, sir!." He reported as a barrage of torpedoes emerged from the beta hull and detonated in the space between the allied ships and the massive form of the Nor class station.

[Lorut Vila]

USS Discovery
Beta Hull

Lorut Vila was new but had hauled ass to the inner hulls as soon as her shift began. From the looks of it, it was all-hands, and a little hairy, so she found Beta Hull, and her partner, Commander tr'Lhoell. Stepping in, she spoke. "Ens. Lorut Vila, reporting for duty." A quick glance at her chronometer told her she was early by two and a half minutes. Hopefully this Romulan wasn't a stickler for that kind of thing-hopefully he felt that early was better than tardy. She needed to reset the damn thing from Bajor time to Standard. Oh well, later. "Orders?" She asked, getting right to business.

[Jael Sherem]

[USS Discovery - Deck 1 - Main Bridge]

Nevir stood firm, and before he could respond, Ops called out incoming warp signatures... Federation.  Now their two ships were five, and the attention of the Federation was on this particular issue.  He planned to stall long enough for the convoy to get away, but now... now he had the means to support his words.

"As you can see, Gul Sheren, that would be Starfleet.  I gave you an opportunity to solve this in the Federation-approved way.  Now... we'll get a little bit more nostalgic.  Discovery out." he stated, closing the channel.  He took his seat and crossed his legs.

"Target weapons and defenses.  Begin a strafing run on the station.  Let them know we aren't going to be pushed around.  Fire when ready." he stated, giving his order to attack.

[Lieutenant JG Jael Sherem | Bridge | Deck One | USS Discovery NCC-78393-B]

This was Jael's first time letting loose weapon fire from Tactical, but she recalled her practice runs on the holodeck. Plus, she knew where to target. Of course, Jael had time to look up to see her father was still on the viewscreen and reeling in surprise, which was why communications are still connected with him. The old man's reaction was priceless, and Jael's smirk was the widest her smile had ever been.

"Gul, sensors are down!" called an officer on their Ops. "We're taking fire from...everywhere!"

"Fire manually!" snarled the old man.

But Jael was already targeting. She did her best to aim toward the reactor, where she was certain the transwarp coil was assembled, while targeting the defenses and weapons. The weapons were especially easy to target, but not so easy to hit, not with the station firing off randomly - she had seen Challenger fire off the first volley and blow the torpedoes in the station's face. Whatever it was, the flashbang must've disabled their sensors.

All the same, the blind fire meant every ship got hit at least once. Jael felt plenty of jolts more than once, and she could see from the sensors how well the battle was going.

"Captain," she said, "the Challenger's taking hits. Its shields seem to be holding, but I don't know how long they'll hold. The Intrepid's dead in the water and taking fire and one of the Inquiries, the Xerox, has been destroyed. Our own shields...well, Alpha Hull's shields are down to thirty percent. Sir, I advise we target the reactor; if the old man thought that was in danger, I'm confident it'll scare him away..."

But then, she heard Nira asking loudly, "T'Kel, Zhuk, how soon can we get below the station and target the Borg signature on the station and thus the transwarp system?"

Well, Jael thought in admiration. She must've figured from the old man's yammering and the sensors...

Now that really got a reaction not just from the old man but also his lackeys. Even the Jem'Hadar; Jael can definitely see them flinching and widening their eyes.

"Sir, the transwarp!" called the Glinn. "Even if we finished off that merchant fleet...!"

"I realize that, glinn!" snarled Sherem. He turned back at the captains and snarled, "You won this round. Next time, expect the full brunt of the Dominion, Jem'Hadar and Breen alike, behind my back!"

He cut communications to all Starfleet frequencies. The station came on the viewscreen, and Jael had enough time to admire the fleet's handiwork before the reactor glowed an unusual green hue, and in a green flash, the whole station disappeared into a transwarp conduit.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)]

USS Discovery
Beta Hull

"Mr. Dranik... we lack maneuverability because of our piggyback'd guest.  Along with targeting those pylons with phaser, I want a full volley of photons detonating between us and the station making it harder for them to target anyone.  Period.  You are weapons free."

"Aye, sir!" Dranik replied as he began targeting the the closest pylon with the Beta hull's formidable phaser array. He took careful aim at the locations of the allied vessels and where best to launch the photons. "Firing photon torpedoes, sir!." He reported as a barrage of torpedoes emerged from the beta hull and detonated in the space between the allied ships and the massive form of the Nor class station.

Rayek glanced over briefly to watch as the torpedoes sped off and then detonated -  one after the other until the area was so charged with particles that sensors were having a hard time getting clear readings of the station.    That should make tracking them while they ran their strifing lines a little more difficult.

"Your targetting may be affected as well Mr. Dranik, but do the best you can." Rayek called out in encouragement towards the Sec/Tac Hirogen crewman, before turning his attention towards the main door as it slid open.

USS Discovery
Beta Hull

Lorut Vila was new but had hauled ass to the inner hulls as soon as her shift began. From the looks of it, it was all-hands, and a little hairy, so she found Beta Hull, and her partner, Commander tr'Lhoell. Stepping in, she spoke. "Ens. Lorut Vila, reporting for duty." A quick glance at her chronometer told her she was early by two and a half minutes. Hopefully this Romulan wasn't a stickler for that kind of thing-hopefully he felt that early was better than tardy. She needed to reset the damn thing from Bajor time to Standard. Oh well, later. "Orders?" She asked, getting right to business.

The Bajoran that approached the command seat was a face that Rayek recognized, but not from his time on Discovery.  No, hers was a younger face when he'd known her on the Lionheart.  "Miss Lorut?" he asked in confusion before realizing that in this time and this dimension she would have no knowledge of him.   Nor was this the time to reminisce.  He shook his head to focus.

[Lieutenant JG Jael Sherem | Bridge | Deck One | USS Discovery NCC-78393-B]

This was Jael's first time letting loose weapon fire from Tactical, but she recalled her practice runs on the holodeck. Plus, she knew where to target. Of course, Jael had time to look up to see her father was still on the viewscreen and reeling in surprise, which was why communications are still connected with him. The old man's reaction was priceless, and Jael's smirk was the widest her smile had ever been.

"Gul, sensors are down!" called an officer on their Ops. "We're taking fire from...everywhere!"

"Fire manually!" snarled the old man.

But Jael was already targeting. She did her best to aim toward the reactor, where she was certain the transwarp coil was assembled, while targeting the defenses and weapons. The weapons were especially easy to target, but not so easy to hit, not with the station firing off randomly - she had seen Challenger fire off the first volley and blow the torpedoes in the station's face. Whatever it was, the flashbang must've disabled their sensors.

All the same, the blind fire meant every ship got hit at least once. Jael felt plenty of jolts more than once, and she could see from the sensors how well the battle was going.

"Captain," she said, "the Challenger's taking hits. Its shields seem to be holding, but I don't know how long they'll hold. The Intrepid's dead in the water and taking fire and one of the Inquiries, the Xerox, has been destroyed. Our own shields...well, Alpha Hull's shields are down to thirty percent. Sir, I advise we target the reactor; if the old man thought that was in danger, I'm confident it'll scare him away..."

The Beta Hull shook as despite the disruption to the station's sensors, the ship with Challenger attached came under fire from manual tracking.  Rayek gripped his armrest to keep from being jostled from the command seat.

"Gohun, keep those shields up!"

He then turned his attention back to the Bajoran ensign.

"Ensign Lorut, I need to you go to the aft airlock and manually disconnect the hardline connecting our computer core with that of Challenger's, gather the hardline and then seal the airlock.   Mr. Banan, contact Challenger to be sure they do likewise on their end."

"Aye sir."  the Chief of Ops answered, but then noted something on the ships external sensor.   "Commander, seems you were right, I'm showing activity on Challenger's hull.  An EVA welding team."

Rayek was wide-eyed in disbelief on who would be crazy enough to be on the hull during a battle like this.  "Acknowledged Chief.   You'd best hurry, Ensign. Seems like Challenger is impatient."

But then, she heard Nira asking loudly, "T'Kel, Zhuk, how soon can we get below the station and target the Borg signature on the station and thus the transwarp system?"

Well, Jael thought in admiration. She must've figured from the old man's yammering and the sensors...

Now that really got a reaction not just from the old man but also his lackeys. Even the Jem'Hadar; Jael can definitely see them flinching and widening their eyes.

"Sir, the transwarp!" called the Glinn. "Even if we finished off that merchant fleet...!"

"I realize that, glinn!" snarled Sherem. He turned back at the captains and snarled, "You won this round. Next time, expect the full brunt of the Dominion, Jem'Hadar and Breen alike, behind my back!"

He cut communications to all Starfleet frequencies. The station came on the viewscreen, and Jael had enough time to admire the fleet's handiwork before the reactor glowed an unusual green hue, and in a green flash, the whole station disappeared into a transwarp conduit.

No sooner had the ensign taken off than Banan reported out that Melek Nor had gone - lost to their sensors in a transwarp conduit.  Rayek was relieved. But then opened a comm.

"Lek, what's the damage like?"

[Emperor J.B Dersch]

[Gamma Battle Bridge | USS Discovery (Gamma hull)]
"œAye Sir", Dem muttered under his breath. "œTake a run at the station, follow the general course of the alpha hull, Dersh, fire all weapons at your discretion." Dem was filled with a newfound confidence. Now that the waiting on the edge-of-your-seat moments were over, he could just solely focus on dealing a blow to the Cardassians. Well, a titular rebel group of Cardassians.
After Tekin abandoned negotiations, he realised that he forgot his commanding officer was a Bajoran. Many years ago, Dem's family discarded their ways in order to escape the ruthless hold of the Cardassians over his parent's home planet. He was not even born yet. He was born as a refugee on Tamarus V, a small federation colony. That's where he always says his home is.

Historically, he had avoided Bajorans altogether. Many frowned upon his apparent discard of the Bajoran religion, even though the so called celestial temple was found. The kindly captain throwing around phrases like "œthank the prophets" stirred something uncomfortable inside him. Like he had failed his people. He could see how emotionally scarred Sherem was from the totalitarian iron grip of a gul's rule, and even inside the cool exterior of the captain he could see some resentment. But Dem felt nothing. No aggression towards the monsters who persecuted his people for generations. He just saw them as another regular day to day foe. He hoped maybe this battle would redeem him.

"Yes Sir," Dersch Said as the Gamma hull took a Run at the station while Dersch had his fun firing some Weapons into the Station, Just to shake them a bit. He Watched the Screen as his Hands Slid arcoss the Console not needing his Eyes to make sure the weapons were firing, The Streaks Of Red and Orbs Of Blue was Enough to say he knew what was he doing.

[Lek]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Discovery - Deck 6 - Battle Bridge (Beta Hull)]

Rayek glanced over briefly to watch as the torpedoes sped off and then detonated -  one after the other until the area was so charged with particles that sensors were having a hard time getting clear readings of the station.    That should make tracking them while they ran their strifing lines a little more difficult.

"Your targetting may be affected as well Mr. Dranik, but do the best you can." Rayek called out in encouragement towards the Sec/Tac Hirogen crewman, before turning his attention towards the main door as it slid open.

The Bajoran that approached the command seat was a face that Rayek recognized, but not from his time on Discovery.  No, hers was a younger face when he'd known her on the Lionheart.  "Miss Lorut?" he asked in confusion before realizing that in this time and this dimension she would have no knowledge of him.   Nor was this the time to reminisce.  He shook his head to focus.

The Beta Hull shook as despite the disruption to the station's sensors, the ship with Challenger attached came under fire from manual tracking.  Rayek gripped his armrest to keep from being jostled from the command seat.

"Gohun, keep those shields up!"

He then turned his attention back to the Bajoran ensign.

"Ensign Lorut, I need to you go to the aft airlock and manually disconnect the hardline connecting our computer core with that of Challenger's, gather the hardline and then seal the airlock.   Mr. Banan, contact Challenger to be sure they do likewise on their end."

"Aye sir."  the Chief of Ops answered, but then noted something on the ships external sensor.   "Commander, seems you were right, I'm showing activity on Challenger's hull.  An EVA welding team."

Rayek was wide-eyed in disbelief on who would be crazy enough to be on the hull during a battle like this.  "Acknowledged Chief.   You'd best hurry, Ensign. Seems like Challenger is impatient."

No sooner had the ensign taken off than Banan reported out that Melek Nor had gone - lost to their sensors in a transwarp conduit.  Rayek was relieved. But then opened a comm.

"Lek, what's the damage like?"

[Engineering - USS Discovery]

All things considered, Lek was pleased. The emergency separation had gone better than he thought it would and he made note to recommend commendations for every member of the EVA team that participated on the outside of the hull as the battle started. When Rayek called, he replied.

"We are holding our own Commander. A few of the hull plates where we attached the tow cables showed some strain, but those have been reinforced. We're just about finished replicating the quick release cables that will allow us to connect and disconnect to Challenger much faster now. We'll be ready in 15 minutes regardless of which option you need."

[Tekin Nevir]

[Lieutenant JG Jael Sherem | Bridge | Deck One | USS Discovery NCC-78393-B]

This was Jael's first time letting loose weapon fire from Tactical, but she recalled her practice runs on the holodeck. Plus, she knew where to target. Of course, Jael had time to look up to see her father was still on the viewscreen and reeling in surprise, which was why communications are still connected with him. The old man's reaction was priceless, and Jael's smirk was the widest her smile had ever been.

"Gul, sensors are down!" called an officer on their Ops. "We're taking fire from...everywhere!"

"Fire manually!" snarled the old man.

But Jael was already targeting. She did her best to aim toward the reactor, where she was certain the transwarp coil was assembled, while targeting the defenses and weapons. The weapons were especially easy to target, but not so easy to hit, not with the station firing off randomly - she had seen Challenger fire off the first volley and blow the torpedoes in the station's face. Whatever it was, the flashbang must've disabled their sensors.

All the same, the blind fire meant every ship got hit at least once. Jael felt plenty of jolts more than once, and she could see from the sensors how well the battle was going.

"Captain," she said, "the Challenger's taking hits. Its shields seem to be holding, but I don't know how long they'll hold. The Intrepid's dead in the water and taking fire and one of the Inquiries, the Xerox, has been destroyed. Our own shields...well, Alpha Hull's shields are down to thirty percent. Sir, I advise we target the reactor; if the old man thought that was in danger, I'm confident it'll scare him away..."

But then, she heard Nira asking loudly, "T'Kel, Zhuk, how soon can we get below the station and target the Borg signature on the station and thus the transwarp system?"

Well, Jael thought in admiration. She must've figured from the old man's yammering and the sensors...

Now that really got a reaction not just from the old man but also his lackeys. Even the Jem'Hadar; Jael can definitely see them flinching and widening their eyes.

"Sir, the transwarp!" called the Glinn. "Even if we finished off that merchant fleet...!"

"I realize that, glinn!" snarled Sherem. He turned back at the captains and snarled, "You won this round. Next time, expect the full brunt of the Dominion, Jem'Hadar and Breen alike, behind my back!"

He cut communications to all Starfleet frequencies. The station came on the viewscreen, and Jael had enough time to admire the fleet's handiwork before the reactor glowed an unusual green hue, and in a green flash, the whole station disappeared into a transwarp conduit.

[USS Discovery - Deck 1 - Main Bridge]

In the blink of an eye, Nevir went from being the diplomatic Captain to the commander of a warship.  Nothing that would risk harm to the station, but disable it... after all, he was still Starfleet.  But the Gul had quickly decided he didn't need to act under the rules of engagement due to some perceived notion about their people's shared past. What's worst, he was a threat to the sector.  So the Bajoran captain treated him like a threat.

"Coordinate our attacks with Gamma, we'll take high and they take low.  Signal Beta and Challenger to put themselves between the station and the Intrepid."

As they made their pass, though, the message seemed to finally click.  The Bajoran didn't react or banter, he just watched the station move with the fluidity of a starship.  Looking more like the skeleton of a Borg sphere retreating through a transwarp conduit than a Cardassian station. After the green faded, he allowed himself to take a breath.

"Stand down from red alert.  Send a message to the Admiral that the station has retreated for now, and we're going to be doing a systems check and returning to the rendevous point." he ordered, waiting for the view screen to split into three... Challenger, Beta, and Gamma.

"Rayek, Dem, begins a systems check but get your hulls ready for automated reintegration.  We don't have time for a manual connection.  Ian, what is your status?"