S4: E8 - Stop the MADness

[Ruth Sigurdsdottir]

[Delta-Flyer - Mjolnir]

Ruth grinned at Lahr and blew him a kiss.  "You know what I mean, silly.  I said I love Mondo... I do, as a fellow crewman, friend and brilliant brainbox.  You however... block your ears Mondo... I love to distraction, from the tips of your antennae down to your likkle blue toes... but right now I have a planet to save!"

She listened to what Lt. Jyur said over the comms and grinned.   Like the idea fellow Boffin, that's not an insult, it's what the Captain calls us, I wear it as a badge of honour!..   she hoped Ian, even in this moment, picked up on the fact she was honoured to be one of his Boffins.

...but no time for fitting the casings...file the idea in the back of your brain tho, who knows when we might be able to use it.  As for the planet, that should be big enough to at least pull some of them off target, Mr. Wessex do we have enough time to fit at least one casing with a graviton pulse emitter to help pull them towards that Class H?.. Maybe a combination of all our ideas can pull enough off with just a few stragglers.

She saw Lahr's antennae quiver while she moved into position with the small flotilla following her.  Ruth knew that even '...a few stragglers...' would cause an amount of devastation but it was better than millions.

Sigurdsdottir to Shuttlecraft, spread out with just enough overlap that our tractor beams on widest settings just touch to get maximum coverage.

Mister Jyur, Radiation we can deal with... it's chemicals after all and chemicals come under the remit of Science and Medical.  I'm pretty sure Drs. Belmont and Fellows can help us sort that out if any of these missiles get thru between corporeal damage and ecological damage we can sort them out, even if they have to start speaking to one another and live on the least affected planet for a while until they can decontaminate it and get things growing again...

Ruth's brain was working overtime but not fast enough that she could come up with an idea to save an entire planet.

Speaking out loud but it would still be heard on the fleet comms and that to the Bridge she said,

If only we had time, planetary shielding, like the entire planet or at least the side the missiles were coming from.... like a big version of the Hunter's personal shields, absorb hits, but somehow once they absorb enough send the pulse back out knocking out the rest of the missiles...

Like a lightbulb switching on in her head she almost shouted.

Mr. Wessex, is there some way to send some kind of wave of pulses from opposite directions so they all detonate away from the planet?  Yes we'll still have the radiation to deal with but we can deal with that later.  Lesser of two very evils but...   the CSO gave a mental shrug.  It was the best she could offer in the time they had.

"Lahr, if I say 'Axes' don't let me die without you holding one hand and one of my axes in the other." Ruth said, eyes wet with tears.  It was testament to how scared she was right now, and how much was riding on what they could do.

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Mjolnir]

With his orders clearly given, Lahr readied the Mjolnir's tractor beam and began sweeping the upper swarm of the Locean-bound missiles.  Between Mjolnir and the  other shuttles efforts at flooding the area with gravitons, Lahr hoped to see some noticeable reaction in the trajectories of the missiles.

[Delta-Flyer - Mjolnir]

Ruth grinned at Lahr and blew him a kiss.  "You know what I mean, silly.  I said I love Mondo... I do, as a fellow crewman, friend and brilliant brainbox.  You however... block your ears Mondo... I love to distraction, from the tips of your antennae down to your likkle blue toes... but right now I have a planet to save!"

She listened to what Lt. Jyur said over the comms and grinned.   Like the idea fellow Boffin, that's not an insult, it's what the Captain calls us, I wear it as a badge of honour!..   she hoped Ian, even in this moment, picked up on the fact she was honoured to be one of his Boffins.

...but no time for fitting the casings...file the idea in the back of your brain tho, who knows when we might be able to use it.  As for the planet, that should be big enough to at least pull some of them off target, Mr. Wessex do we have enough time to fit at least one casing with a graviton pulse emitter to help pull them towards that Class H?.. Maybe a combination of all our ideas can pull enough off with just a few stragglers.

She saw Lahr's antennae quiver while she moved into position with the small flotilla following her.  Ruth knew that even '...a few stragglers...' would cause an amount of devastation but it was better than millions.

Sigurdsdottir to Shuttlecraft, spread out with just enough overlap that our tractor beams on widest settings just touch to get maximum coverage.

Mister Jyur, Radiation we can deal with... it's chemicals after all and chemicals come under the remit of Science and Medical.  I'm pretty sure Drs. Belmont and Fellows can help us sort that out if any of these missiles get thru between corporeal damage and ecological damage we can sort them out, even if they have to start speaking to one another and live on the least affected planet for a while until they can decontaminate it and get things growing again...

Ruth's brain was working overtime but not fast enough that she could come up with an idea to save an entire planet.

Speaking out loud but it would still be heard on the fleet comms and that to the Bridge she said,

If only we had time, planetary shielding, like the entire planet or at least the side the missiles were coming from.... like a big version of the Hunter's personal shields, absorb hits, but somehow once they absorb enough send the pulse back out knocking out the rest of the missiles...

Like a lightbulb switching on in her head she almost shouted.

Mr. Wessex, is there some way to send some kind of wave of pulses from opposite directions so they all detonate away from the planet?  Yes we'll still have the radiation to deal with but we can deal with that later.  Lesser of two very evils but...   the CSO gave a mental shrug.  It was the best she could offer in the time they had.

"Lahr, if I say 'Axes' don't let me die without you holding one hand and one of my axes in the other." Ruth said, eyes wet with tears.  It was testament to how scared she was right now, and how much was riding on what they could do.

[Nelvarish space within 100,000 kilometers of Locea]

The staggering firepower of the Challenger, supplemented by the shuttles and the Locean Navy had devastated the direct line Trellion swarm, leaving the very few surviving missiles to be destroyed by the planetary defenses of Locea. This allowed the plans to intercept the upper and lower swarms to go into action.

Even though the firepower of the shuttles and the Locean Navy didn't match that of the Challenger, but with the addition of the tractor beams to confuse the Trellion missiles, it was enough. The shuttles were the first line of defense, initially using their tractors and then their weapons, the Mjolnir, along with her sisters lashed the upper swarm with lethal effect.

The next line of defense was the Locean Navy. While these ships were far less capable then the Federation shuttles, but they has practiced for these very mission for decades and it showed. Only a tattered remnant of the upper swarm survived their attack and were easily swept aside by the final line of the defense, the planet's laser batteries.

The lower swarm targeting Locea didn't fare any better as the massive minefield of photon torpedoes laid as mines decimated them down to a mere twenty percent. These survivors were wiped out by T'Kel at tactical's remorseless fire with none even reaching the planet's defenses. Thus, despite the odds, Locea had survived, it had taken virtually the entire firepower present in the system to do it, but it had worked. The problem now was Trellion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[High Orbit of Trellion]

The forces of the Trellion Navy were just as practiced as those of the Locean Navy, but they didn't have the advantage of Starfleet tractor beams and shuttles to help them. However, despite these limitations, they attacked with a frenzy of someone defending their homes would be expected to do and came very close to being completely successful. Unfortunately, being close in such a situation, simply wasn't good enough. Between the fleet and the planetary defenses, the defenders stopped 94% or 470 of the 500 missiles of the direct line swarm. This left thirty missiles to launch 180 warheads at Trellion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Nelvarish space within 100,000 kilometers of Trellion]

The Challenger flashed into existence from her micro-warp jump and immediately began firing on the lower missile swarm. The sheer destructive power of forty quantum torpedoes made the area around the southern pole of the planet light up like a supernova. The effect on the missile swarm was catastrophic. Five minutes earlier, five hundred missiles were closing on Trellion, then, they were simply gone with none surviving to activate the planetary defense.

This however, left the upper swarm still closing unimpeded. Neither the Trellion Navy nor the Challenger were initially in position to directly intercept the missiles. The desperate acoustical pulse from the Challenger deactivated 52% of the upper swarm.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

"Helm, put us in the middle of that swarm, full impulse!"

Ian ordered as Challenger pitched up to move from a southern polar orbit to a northern polar orbit. T'kel fired the phasers as fast as they would cycle, but there were simply too many to intercept and there was no way to differentiate between those that were still active and which were disabled but still deadly dirty bombs.

The Trellion Navy managed to pick off some of the missiles as did the planetary laser batteries, but it wasn't enough. Despite the best efforts of all entities involved, seven percent or 465 out of 500 of the missiles survived to launch their 210 warheads. Of these, 52% were "merely" dirty bombs, but that left 101 nuclear bombs to add to that of the 180 from the direct flight swarm.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian's head dropped as he watched Trellion erupt in mushrooms as nuclear blasts swept across the planet.

"Sweet Merciful Maker."

He murmured as he saw the horror unfolding in front of him.

[Mondo'li Nari]

Delta Flyer Class Runabout 'Mjolnir', witnessing Armageddon

Hearing the idea from his new superior, Wessex, Mondo nodded in appreciation.  Detonating the warheads before they reached their final destination was not a flawless solution, but it was far superior than any alternative he could imagine.  It was, at least, potentially survivable.

When Lahr balked at Ruth's complimentary words, Mondo smirked.  Of course, he did not for a moment believe that there was any genuine romantic concern on Lahr's part.  This was merely the banter they regularly enjoyed.  He had to admit that while he was much more straight-laced than his friends, he did find their joking to be a welcome respite from the dire circumstances.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, that respite did not last long.

As the old Terran saying went, 'All the King's Horses' had not been enough to prevent atomic horror.

"We will need to put the industrial replicators on board ship to work, creating Hyronalin and Lectrazine," Mondo said softly, the strength stolen from his words by the thought of millions of lives being snuffed out in an instant.  He did not know the mechanism of action of these drugs, but he did know what was necessary in response to radioactive exposure.

There wouldn't be enough of it, of course.  Not if they replicated the drugs all month.

This was a disaster.

[Vasilisa Belmont]

[Sickbay]

After the tour and getting Jess settled, Lisa spent her time in a general state of worry as reports came in on the progress of the shuttle and the absolute chaos and horror happening on the planet that the away team was witnessing. It made her restless, wishing she could be there despite how futile her presence would be. All she could do now was respond to the aftermath, so she, Jess, and Nathaniel started basically an assembly line of everyone available on alpha shift to start preparing radiation medication. She tried not to think about each person suffering while she worked, but it was difficult. Whenever the thought came back to her she forced herself to focus only on the task at hand. Work was what kept her okay, so she would work hard.

[Jettis Jyur]

She listened to what Lt. Jyur said over the comms and grinned.   =/\=Like the idea fellow Boffin, that's not an insult, it's what the Captain calls us, I wear it as a badge of honour!..   she hoped Ian, even in this moment, picked up on the fact she was honoured to be one of his Boffins.

...but no time for fitting the casings...file the idea in the back of your brain tho, who knows when we might be able to use it.  As for the planet, that should be big enough to at least pull some of them off target, Mr. Wessex do we have enough time to fit at least one casing with a graviton pulse emitter to help pull them towards that Class H?.. Maybe a combination of all our ideas can pull enough off with just a few stragglers.

She saw Lahr's antennae quiver while she moved into position with the small flotilla following her.  Ruth knew that even '...a few stragglers...' would cause an amount of devastation but it was better than millions.

=/\=Sigurdsdottir to Shuttlecraft, spread out with just enough overlap that our tractor beams on widest settings just touch to get maximum coverage.

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Jettis listened with a dulled interest as his idea was either not addressed, or shot down. In his heart he knew it was right - 18 minutes was far from enough for a fleet. But it didn't appear they would even attempt to get one or two. He nodded, even though he knew the Commander wouldn't be able to see it. He tried to swallow, jaw flexing as the clock ticked down. "Without knowing the radius there's unfortunately no way to know how many we would need to divert the missiles," he choked out. His eyes swept the bridge again, landing on each person's face with a scrutinizing eye. An icicle of doubt gouged into his stomach, as he eyed up all the unfamiliar faces. He felt estranged, as if nobody... cared as much as he did. Tensing his neck, he sucked in a deep breath, trying to divorce himself from the flood of emotions coming in. His own angst was not what was important right now. But the Commander's next words sent another shock of anger through his system..

=/\=Mister Jyur, Radiation we can deal with... it's chemicals after all and chemicals come under the remit of Science and Medical.  I'm pretty sure Drs. Belmont and Fellows can help us sort that out if any of these missiles get thru between corporeal damage and ecological damage we can sort them out, even if they have to start speaking to one another and live on the least affected planet for a while until they can decontaminate it and get things growing again...

'Radiation we can deal with. For the ones that survive impact. And the ones that survive their burns long enough for us to restock our supply, which is pitifully low already.' The thoughts wormed through the back of his mind, but another hard swallow had them shoved down. The diplomatic finagling would be the easiest part - hopefully this incident had changed the hearts of both parties. He couldn't imagine how it wouldn't. But the thought of just accepting they had run out of time, and lost thousands, of not millions of innocent bystanders to a futile war..
"Agreed Commander. If you want me to, I will co-ordinate with the medical team between ecological and medical treatment." The words were spoken in an almost defeated tone, as he placed his hands on either side of the console, and stared blankly out the viewport.

The Trellion Navy managed to pick off some of the missiles as did the planetary laser batteries, but it wasn't enough. Despite the best efforts of all entities involved, seven percent or 465 out of 500 of the missiles survived to launch their 210 warheads. Of these, 52% were "merely" dirty bombs, but that left 101 nuclear bombs to add to that of the 180 from the direct flight swarm.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian's head dropped as he watched Trellion erupt in mushrooms as nuclear blasts swept across the planet.

"Sweet Merciful Maker."

He murmured as he saw the horror unfolding in front of him.

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

The Bridge appeared to fall silent, as everyone mutely watched the destruction of millions. The missiles were in no way accurate or localized as Jettis had hoped, but instead peppered the whole planet. Making sure every single inhabitant would feel the effect- see the clouds, choke on the smoke and radiation. Assuming they weren't killed on impact. It was such a futile genocide. Choking back a retch, Jettis took a step back from his console, his mind screaming to avert his eyes, but his body locked in a total 'freeze' fear response. Glassy eyes darted from light to light, watching the mushroom clouds rise, refusing to dissipate and simply hanging in the air.

Finally finding the strength to avert his eyes, he took a few deep breaths, trying to compose himself. He was far too close to this event, having watched the same devastation on his own planet. Dragging a hand down his face, he straightened up, staring down at his console. He had to work, he knew he did, but he was unsure where he was needed. Science was close to Medical, sure, but he knew simply waltzing down to Sickbay would be wholly unwarranted, and frankly unwanted.  He was in no position to order anything, or command anybody. So there he stood at his station, switching between blankly staring at his console, and emptily gazing at the planet.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Mjolnir]

[Delta-Flyer - Mjolnir]

Ruth grinned at Lahr and blew him a kiss.  "You know what I mean, silly.  I said I love Mondo... I do, as a fellow crewman, friend and brilliant brainbox.  You however... block your ears Mondo... I love to distraction, from the tips of your antennae down to your likkle blue toes... but right now I have a planet to save!"
...

She saw Lahr's antennae quiver while she moved into position with the small flotilla following her.  Ruth knew that even '...a few stragglers...' would cause an amount of devastation but it was better than millions.

Sigurdsdottir to Shuttlecraft, spread out with just enough overlap that our tractor beams on widest settings just touch to get maximum coverage.
...

Ruth's brain was working overtime but not fast enough that she could come up with an idea to save an entire planet.

Speaking out loud but it would still be heard on the fleet comms and that to the Bridge she said,

If only we had time, planetary shielding, like the entire planet or at least the side the missiles were coming from.... like a big version of the Hunter's personal shields, absorb hits, but somehow once they absorb enough send the pulse back out knocking out the rest of the missiles...

Like a lightbulb switching on in her head she almost shouted.

Mr. Wessex, is there some way to send some kind of wave of pulses from opposite directions so they all detonate away from the planet?  Yes we'll still have the radiation to deal with but we can deal with that later.  Lesser of two very evils but...   the CSO gave a mental shrug.  It was the best she could offer in the time they had.

"Lahr, if I say 'Axes' don't let me die without you holding one hand and one of my axes in the other." Ruth said, eyes wet with tears.  It was testament to how scared she was right now, and how much was riding on what they could do.

The joking banter between him and Ruth had helped Lahr get through the next several minutes of saving Locea.  He kept himself focused on his task, doing his small part and trusted that his fellow crewmates aboard Challenger would be able to come up with something to save the Trellion planet.

For what seemed like the first time that trust was failed... and Lahr watched in stunned horror as nuclear warheads rained down on Trellion.

Delta Flyer Class Runabout 'Mjolnir', witnessing Armageddon

Hearing the idea from his new superior, Wessex, Mondo nodded in appreciation.  Detonating the warheads before they reached their final destination was not a flawless solution, but it was far superior than any alternative he could imagine.  It was, at least, potentially survivable.

When Lahr balked at Ruth's complimentary words, Mondo smirked.  Of course, he did not for a moment believe that there was any genuine romantic concern on Lahr's part.  This was merely the banter they regularly enjoyed.  He had to admit that while he was much more straight-laced than his friends, he did find their joking to be a welcome respite from the dire circumstances.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, that respite did not last long.

As the old Terran saying went, 'All the King's Horses' had not been enough to prevent atomic horror.

"We will need to put the industrial replicators on board ship to work, creating Hyronalin and Lectrazine," Mondo said softly, the strength stolen from his words by the thought of millions of lives being snuffed out in an instant.  He did not know the mechanism of action of these drugs, but he did know what was necessary in response to radioactive exposure.

There wouldn't be enough of it, of course.  Not if they replicated the drugs all month.

This was a disaster.

The first few mushroom clouds brought a gasp of disbelief from the Andorian.  No no... this wasn't supposed to happen like.  They were supposed to have saved them all.  Not just save one planet and let the other get bombarded.

Mondo's words were like a wake up call.   What the hell were they sitting there just watching the destruction?  Without orders or caring about permission, Lahr, in the co-pilots seat opened a channel to the others shuttles and the Locean fleet.

"No time to sit n' gawk..  form up on us as we warp to Trellion.  We'll set up in high orbit and begin assisting the beam out of survivors to Challenger and whatever ships the Locean government can muster to aid."

He began prepping for the warp jump.

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Jettis listened with a dulled interest as his idea was either not addressed, or shot down. In his heart he knew it was right - 18 minutes was far from enough for a fleet. But it didn't appear they would even attempt to get one or two. He nodded, even though he knew the Commander wouldn't be able to see it. He tried to swallow, jaw flexing as the clock ticked down. "Without knowing the radius there's unfortunately no way to know how many we would need to divert the missiles," he choked out. His eyes swept the bridge again, landing on each person's face with a scrutinizing eye. An icicle of doubt gouged into his stomach, as he eyed up all the unfamiliar faces. He felt estranged, as if nobody... cared as much as he did. Tensing his neck, he sucked in a deep breath, trying to divorce himself from the flood of emotions coming in. His own angst was not what was important right now. But the Commander's next words sent another shock of anger through his system..
'Radiation we can deal with. For the ones that survive impact. And the ones that survive their burns long enough for us to restock our supply, which is pitifully low already.' The thoughts wormed through the back of his mind, but another hard swallow had them shoved down. The diplomatic finagling would be the easiest part - hopefully this incident had changed the hearts of both parties. He couldn't imagine how it wouldn't. But the thought of just accepting they had run out of time, and lost thousands, of not millions of innocent bystanders to a futile war..
"Agreed Commander. If you want me to, I will co-ordinate with the medical team between ecological and medical treatment." The words were spoken in an almost defeated tone, as he placed his hands on either side of the console, and stared blankly out the viewport.

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

The Bridge appeared to fall silent, as everyone mutely watched the destruction of millions. The missiles were in no way accurate or localized as Jettis had hoped, but instead peppered the whole planet. Making sure every single inhabitant would feel the effect- see the clouds, choke on the smoke and radiation. Assuming they weren't killed on impact. It was such a futile genocide. Choking back a retch, Jettis took a step back from his console, his mind screaming to avert his eyes, but his body locked in a total 'freeze' fear response. Glassy eyes darted from light to light, watching the mushroom clouds rise, refusing to dissipate and simply hanging in the air.

Finally finding the strength to avert his eyes, he took a few deep breaths, trying to compose himself. He was far too close to this event, having watched the same devastation on his own planet. Dragging a hand down his face, he straightened up, staring down at his console. He had to work, he knew he did, but he was unsure where he was needed. Science was close to Medical, sure, but he knew simply waltzing down to Sickbay would be wholly unwarranted, and frankly unwanted.  He was in no position to order anything, or command anybody. So there he stood at his station, switching between blankly staring at his console, and emptily gazing at the planet.

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Mjolnir]

The joking banter between him and Ruth had helped Lahr get through the next several minutes of saving Locea.  He kept himself focused on his task, doing his small part and trusted that his fellow crewmates aboard Challenger would be able to come up with something to save the Trellion planet.

For what seemed like the first time that trust was failed... and Lahr watched in stunned horror as nuclear warheads rained down on Trellion.

The first few mushroom clouds brought a gasp of disbelief from the Andorian.  No no... this wasn't supposed to happen like.  They were supposed to have saved them all.  Not just save one planet and let the other get bombarded.

Mondo's words were like a wake up call.   What the hell were they sitting there just watching the destruction?  Without orders or caring about permission, Lahr, in the co-pilots seat opened a channel to the others shuttles and the Locean fleet.

"No time to sit n' gawk..  form up on us as we warp to Trellion.  We'll set up in high orbit and begin assisting the beam out of survivors to Challenger and whatever ships the Locean government can muster to aid."

He began prepping for the warp jump.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

One didn't have to be a telepath to feel the anguish that flooded the bridge, they'd failed. At least that's how most of the bridge crew felt. Sure, one could simply say the Thebos was at fault or the Nelvari society brought this on themselves, but mighty Starfleet was supposed to have the pinnacle of the finest minds in the Alpha Quadrant and failure wasn't supposed to in their vocabulary. Ian was fairly certain he wasn't alone in feeling the way he did, but as captain, one of his most important responsibilities was to be a 'non-anxious presence', projecting a paternal air of infallibility to inspire the crew when things were at there worse.

"Sod that."

He thought as he addressed the crew.

"All hands this is the captain. We have just borne witness ta the unimaginable. There are no words for the tragedy that has just occurred, but for now, we must do what we can ta mitigate the sufferin' takin' place on Trellion. Doctor Beaumont, I am activatin' disaster protocol, all the ship's resources are yours. Counselor Lightoller, please report ta the bridge. Regardless of how you may be feelin' right now, we are Starfleet and we have a new job ta do. Be prepared for rapidly changin' orders and assignments. I have complete faith in your ability ta do all that is possible for the people of Trellion. Galloway out."

Just as Ian finished speaking, Grelek indicated they were being hailed from the planet.

"On screen."

The image of the scarred planet switched to that of a solidly built Nelvari woman bearing an expression of unvarnished anguish.

"Captain Galloway. I am Tercius Mellebok. Our capital Thoth took multiple hits and Thebos is dead. There has been no contact from Secundus Delar, thus I am now the senior most government official on Trellion. Captain, we are in desperate need of your assistance, per our projections, we have more that 33 million dead and twice that number are injured. Our medical system, what's left of it simply cannot handle the number of casualties. In the name of the Creator, please help us."

"We have just initiated that very process Tercius. Help is on the way and I will contact my government for additional assistance."

"We are at your mercy Captain, please do not fail us."

Mellebok closed the link and the viewscreen returned to that of the devastated planet.

"Grelek, contact Starfleet Command and get whatever assistance is available on the way. Priority one."

Grelek bent to his assigned task and that left Ian to stare at the roiling chaos below in silence.

[Mondo'li Nari]

Delta Flyer Class Runabout Mjolnir, On approach for rescue

Mondo began assessing the shuttle squadron's evacuation capacity from his auxiliary station.

"Not all shuttles have transporter capability, though the ones without it can be aided by the ones who have it.  Ionization of the atmosphere could be a problem for transport... and it's one I don't know how to solve.

But there are more pressing questions:

Do we evacuate people in areas where the nuclear devices detonated?  People who are terribly burned and irradiated and most likely to die?

Do we evacuate people in intermediate areas, who are free from direct burns, but who will certainly die from intense radiation exposure?

Or do we evacuate people in areas distant from the detonations, who are currently completely healthy, but who are in danger of exposure to future radioactive winds and rain which will poison them in upcoming hours and days?"

What was the triage for a case like this?  How did they choose who to save?

The Hupyrian simply did not know.

[Bianca Lightoller]

"All hands this is the captain. We have just borne witness ta the unimaginable. There are no words for the tragedy that has just occurred, but for now, we must do what we can ta mitigate the sufferin' takin' place on Trellion. Doctor Beaumont, I am activatin' disaster protocol, all the ship's resources are yours. Counselor Lightoller, please report ta the bridge. Regardless of how you may be feelin' right now, we are Starfleet and we have a new job ta do. Be prepared for rapidly changin' orders and assignments. I have complete faith in your ability ta do all that is possible for the people of Trellion. Galloway out."

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Bianca was quite surprised to find her name was dropped during Captain Galloway's shipwide announcement. Oftentimes, her department was sought out after the traumatic incident and days after paperwork was filed. While she had a need to know basis of the ship's running, she didn't know what exactly was going on in the mission aside from the possibility of mass casualties. Her educational workers seemed confident at the time that Starfleet and, in turn the Challenger herself, can pull the last ditch effort to save everyone.

The captain's speech however confirmed the worst. The energy she walked into on the bridge was of frustration and helplessness. The live feed of the destruction on Trellion took her breath away. It was horrific and her heart twisted from it all.

Bianca took a moment to breathe and compose herself before reaching the Captain's chair. She avoided any more viewscreens to steel her resolve.

"Captain," she greeted quietly, "Counselor Lightoller reporting for duty."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Mjolnir]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

One didn't have to be a telepath to feel the anguish that flooded the bridge, they'd failed. At least that's how most of the bridge crew felt. Sure, one could simply say the Thebos was at fault or the Nelvari society brought this on themselves, but mighty Starfleet was supposed to have the pinnacle of the finest minds in the Alpha Quadrant and failure wasn't supposed to in their vocabulary. Ian was fairly certain he wasn't alone in feeling the way he did, but as captain, one of his most important responsibilities was to be a 'non-anxious presence', projecting a paternal air of infallibility to inspire the crew when things were at there worse.

"Sod that."

He thought as he addressed the crew.

"All hands this is the captain. We have just borne witness ta the unimaginable. There are no words for the tragedy that has just occurred, but for now, we must do what we can ta mitigate the sufferin' takin' place on Trellion. Doctor Beaumont, I am activatin' disaster protocol, all the ship's resources are yours. Counselor Lightoller, please report ta the bridge. Regardless of how you may be feelin' right now, we are Starfleet and we have a new job ta do. Be prepared for rapidly changin' orders and assignments. I have complete faith in your ability ta do all that is possible for the people of Trellion. Galloway out."

Just as Ian finished speaking, Grelek indicated they were being hailed from the planet.

"On screen."

The image of the scarred planet switched to that of a solidly built Nelvari woman bearing an expression of unvarnished anguish.

"Captain Galloway. I am Tercius Mellebok. Our capital Thoth took multiple hits and Thebos is dead. There has been no contact from Secundus Delar, thus I am now the senior most government official on Trellion. Captain, we are in desperate need of your assistance, per our projections, we have more that 33 million dead and twice that number are injured. Our medical system, what's left of it simply cannot handle the number of casualties. In the name of the Creator, please help us."

"We have just initiated that very process Tercius. Help is on the way and I will contact my government for additional assistance."

"We are at your mercy Captain, please do not fail us."

Mellebok closed the link and the viewscreen returned to that of the devastated planet.

The Captain's words being heard over the shuttle's speakers confirmed for Lahr that their job was far from over.

Delta Flyer Class Runabout Mjolnir, On approach for rescue

Mondo began assessing the shuttle squadron's evacuation capacity from his auxiliary station.

"Not all shuttles have transporter capability, though the ones without it can be aided by the ones who have it.  Ionization of the atmosphere could be a problem for transport... and it's one I don't know how to solve.

But there are more pressing questions:

Do we evacuate people in areas where the nuclear devices detonated?  People who are terribly burned and irradiated and most likely to die?

Do we evacuate people in intermediate areas, who are free from direct burns, but who will certainly die from intense radiation exposure?

Or do we evacuate people in areas distant from the detonations, who are currently completely healthy, but who are in danger of exposure to future radioactive winds and rain which will poison them in upcoming hours and days?"

What was the triage for a case like this?  How did they choose who to save?

The Hupyrian simply did not know.

Of course, Mondo had to point out details that Lahr just didn't have the brain capacity or emotional fortitude to deal with at the  moment.  "Rhooz man! Then the other shuttles can ferry the injured to the ship or carry medical supplies down to the planet. Is that good enough?!" he snapped back at the Hupyrian who was only trying to ensure their plan was the best possible but Lahr was raw at the moment.

At the question about triage order Lahr was almost physically ill at the imagery his mind called up.  But this was something he could find an answer for.   While the shuttle jumped to warp,  Lahr opened this console and located the necessary: Mass Casualty Triage system and forwarded not just to the Hupyrian but to the other shuttles and both Nelvari governments.  It would speed medical assistance if they could get the Nelvari using their system of triage. It read as the following.

• Red Triage Tag ("œImmediate" or T1 or Priority 1): Patients whose lives are in immediate danger and who require immediate treatment;
• Yellow Triage Tag ("œDelayed" or T2 or Priority 2): Patients whose lives are not in immediate danger and who will require urgent, not immediate, medical care;
• Green Triage Tag ("œMinimal" or T3 or Priority 3): Patients with minor injuries who will eventually require treatment;
• Black Triage Tag ("œExpectant" or No Priority): Patients who are either dead or who have such extensive injuries that they can not be saved with the limited resources available.

Lahr could only hope that while Ops, Security and Medical focused on rescue and evacuation that Engineering and Science were already working on ways to protect those not immediately in danger.  Giant shield generators to placed around entire communities in advance of the radiation that would be sweeping the planet, or scientific ways of dispersing the radiation...   There had to be something, right!?  This was the 24th century!

[Mondo'li Nari]

Delta Flyer Class Runabout Mjolnir, On approach for rescue

Mondo winced slightly at his friend's tone.  Hupyrian servants were trained to accept a certain amount of abuse from their Masters, but it was harder to take a harsh tone from a friend.  He didn't blame Lahr.  The situation was terrible.  But he didn't have the practice to passively endure it without reaction.

"No shuttles can be allowed to make landfall," Mondo said, "Not to drop off supplies, and not for any other reason, either.  Not until we have a formidable Security team in place, ready to protect them.  Any supplies we provide, and anyone we evacuate, will have to be dropped or pulled from orbit via transporter or drone."

Mondo turned to look at Lahr, and then glanced to the other members of the runabout crew.

"Even at the worst we have seen together, you and I... we have been dealing mostly with trained, uniformed entities.  Sometimes, sadistic individuals.  Pirates.  Criminals.  Sometimes, sick people.  We have even dealt with the good citizens of worlds who have experienced generations of Utopia and peaceful living.  Generations of conditioning that take time to degrade."

He gestured vaguely towards the planet.

"This is not that.  We have never dealt with anything like this.  These are going to be multitudes of people, enough to fill the horizon of your imagination.  People wild with fear, desperate.  They will believe their lives are about to end.   And they will be right.  Their entire planet is on the edge of a knife, and every breath they take could be their last.

They can not be trusted to be orderly, or to be safe.  Their government can't be trusted to keep them so.  No one down there was really prepared for this, because there is no way to adequately prepare for this.  It will be utter, screaming, bloody chaos.

Only a potential threat in their faces, which is more imminent than the threat at their backs, will keep them from swarming any shuttle that lands among them.  Any shuttle that makes landfall on that world will be at risk of an endless, wild mob.  It is a recipe for suicide, not for rescue.

I am not even sure we have enough Security on the entire ship to adequately secure a single landing site when faced with that kind of heinous reality."

[Kyle Briggs]

Bridge

Kyle had been seconding for T'Kel at the Tactical station. He was feeding coordinates as she fired on the incoming missiles. He had been feeling good about their teamwork as they continuously knocked out warhead after warhead.........

......until they had reached Trellion. There just hadn't been enough time and speed to get them all and the planet was pommeled. Kyle's heart skipped several beats. The devastation left him feeling hollow inside. He couldn't find any words to express what was running through his mind. All he could do was watch the view screen as his jaw dropped open. All those people. This was, without a doubt, the biggest loss he had ever witnessed.

Kyle was brought out of his shock by the Captain's announcement, the call from the planet and the arrival of the Counselor. Lord knew she was gonna be needed. And medical assistance as well. They were gonna have to get security and medical teams down as soon as possible. But they had to make sure it was safe first.

The shuttles had been on open channels and the Challenger could hear their discussions. "All shuttles hold positions. Mister Nari is correct in his assessment." He turned his attention back to the Bridge crew.

"What are the readings down there?" he asked the relief Ops officer. He sure wished Lahr was still aboard. Kyle had grown accustomed to the Andorians extraordinary capabilities. "Are we able to put relief teams on the ground?"

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Under Doctor Beaumont's direction and with close coordination with T'Kel, the crew and resources of the Challenger came together into rescue teams ready to aid Trellion. While Ian did his best in the role of liaison with Tercius Mellebok, the planetary disaster services were so badly disrupted as to be more of a hindrance than of assistance.

One thing was abundantly clear very quickly, a single starship did not have the ability to perform a recovery of this size. Fortunately, Starfleet Command responded quickly and several more starships were on the way, including the USS Curie, one of the Olympic-Class medical ships. The Challenger just had to hold out for four hours before the first of the reinforcements arrived and within 48 hours, there would be eight starships in the Nelvarish system.

[Ruth Sigurdsdottir]

[Delta Flyer - Mjolnir]

Ruth looked in despair as the mushroom clouds formed. She understood the ... was it anger in Lt.  Jyur's voice and she could understand.

Swallowing back the bile that started trying to rise but unable to stop the tears streaming down her face she mutely nodded at Mondo, then managed to find her voice.

Lt. Jyur, **sniff**, please do what you can that end.  Mr. Nari has suggested that we put the industrial replicators on board ship to work, creating Hyronalin and Lectrazine... I'm in agreement and if you want to oversee that you could.  I'm sorry, we couldn't save everyone it was an impossible task... now we have to save those we can, it's turned into a rescue mission.  I didn't mean to sound dismissive before but sometimes you've got to prioritise your horrors, and well, trying to save lives first then mopping up any damage after was the situation we were in.  Now the unthinkable has happened we can switch to a pure rescue mission now.  Mr. Briggs, I had no intention of landing on the planet at the moment, while we have EV suits as standard, I am thinking simply from a security position here.  We'll hold position and await further orders.  Can we beam injured up for transport to the Challenger?  Medical is my weakest department.  Perhaps Drs. Belmont and Fellows can advise?

Knowing she only had a few moments probably but she needed to get it out of her system she looked at Lahr and Mondo and said "You haven't seen this..." she muted the comms, she hoped, from the Mjolnir's end, but any information and replies from the Challenger would come through.  She might not have hit the button properly though.

She folded her arms and laid them gently on the console then put her head on them and just sobbed her heart out for about 5 minutes, it was totally 'ugly' crying, for all the lives lost and the impossible choices they'd had to make.

Taking a few deep breaths and straightening up she looked up and put her most 'Viking' look on, admittedly a tear streaked, red eyed Viking but she had the resolve to carry on now.

"Could someone make me a Waring Special please, I think that's the only thing strong enough that isn't a quad of a decent single malt, and I won't drink on duty, that will do at the moment. And maybe a cool cloth to wipe...this..."

She made a circular motion around the face, then her eye slipped to the console... Damn... mute button hadn't been on but she had lowered the volume... maybe they didn't hear her crying, but if they did maybe they'd understand she'd held it in until then.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Mjolnir]

Lahr slammed his fist down along the side of his console, frustrated with the very accurate portrayal Mondo painted, and with the order than had come at its heels from Commander Briggs.  Rhooz!  What the hell!?  They couldn't just sit back and do nothing!?

Yet that seemed to be what they were being asked to do.

He vaguely heard Ruth making apologies or some such over the comm to someone but he really hadn't paid much mind to her words.  Maybe it was so he could claim he hadn't heard her in case she agreed with Kyle that they were to hold off providing aid.

Heedless of the orders, Lahr made the jump to mini-warp to at least get them into orbit alongside Challenger (and closer to the planet).   Maybe Mondo was wrong... maybe there wouldn't be too much interference for the transporters.  Lahr ran his sensor scans and to his dismay, the interference levels were beyond safety limits to use transporters.   The Andorian slumped in defeat.

[Hours later..]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Under Doctor Beaumont's direction and with close coordination with T'Kel, the crew and resources of the Challenger came together into rescue teams ready to aid Trellion. While Ian did his best in the role of liaison with Tercius Mellebok, the planetary disaster services were so badly disrupted as to be more of a hindrance than of assistance.

One thing was abundantly clear very quickly, a single starship did not have the ability to perform a recovery of this size. Fortunately, Starfleet Command responded quickly and several more starships were on the way, including the USS Curie, one of the Olympic-Class medical ships. The Challenger just had to hold out for four hours before the first of the reinforcements arrived and within 48 hours, there would be eight starships in the Nelvarish system.

Lahr made sure that his offer to help was taken seriously.   As traumatic as it was going to be going down to the planet, Lahr needed to feel like he was of assistance.