S2 M7 - The Two Wolves

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

Solluk watched the display as reports came in.  The damage to the station was significant, as was the loss of personnel.  But none of it had crippled their operations as much as the uncertainty.  Every isolinear chip on the entire station was suspect.  Every EPS relay.  Every system.  The impostors could have done even more damage than was currently apparent.  Solluk could only imagine that the Thinkers had hoped to capture the station as an asset, and not merely to destroy it.

On the holoprojection, the Tholians could be seen to be completing their web.

Solluk looked to Zex, "Please extend my compliments to the Tholians.  I think they've done everything that can be reasonably asked of them.  The rest of this lies in the hands of our people."

Our people.  And their version of our people.

IKS Lod Qan - Bridge

"Hold position," Noh'ves ordered, his eyes upon the unfolding events, "we act only if the false ship slips the Tholian Web.  Pre-charge disruptors.  Load photon torpedoes.  Stand ready to disengage the cloak on my signal..."

[Rayek trLhoell]

Replicant - Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

Soon the self-destruct announcement was piped through the rHealy as a false peace settled on the damaged ship with the lull in weapons fire.  Well, incoming weapons fire.  Outgoing phaser fire was still happening as rRayek tried to bring down the Healy's shields.

Glancing at his tactical display, gave the replicant Romulan no hope.  The Tholian web was fully intact.  The Klingon cruiser had yet to uncloak but was out there somewhere - ready to pounce should he somehow manage to escape the Tholian trap.   The cobras surprisingly enough were backing off... some faster than others - forming a line back towards the station.

That's when rRayek clued in.  The Cobras were forming a transporter chain.  The Tesses' were still aboard!

'Oh hell no!' He would take them into Hell with him.

"Ensign Oloze, Tess is still aboard with her original.  Find them!"

While the Ops officer sourly began checking what few sensors still worked on the ship, rRayek paused his attack on the Healy to search the ships security footage using the ships' facial recognition program to find her where the biometric sensors could not.

[ Provisional Junior Lieutenant L'mar Rhade ] | [ Deck 6 - Sickbay | USS rHealy ] - [ DAY 3. AFTERNOON. ]

Once the pain was not so strong, Rhade could focus his mind and smiled at Tess. "Thank you and please calm yourrself Commanderrr." L'mar began, his words were losing the rolling sound.

"Panic is counterrprroductive." L'mar commented as he slowly got to his feet. He had been really lucky to already have been on the floor when that last violent shaking. "If you will turrrn arrround Commanderr?" L'mar asked and aimed his rifle at the locking mechanism of the metal bonds that held Tess' arms together.

He fired and it fell to the floor. Rhade then made his way over to the Surgery Suite console after picking up his rifle. Checking the sensors, he grinned, it seemed that this Healy's shields had failed during that shaking. But why were they still here?

Hrafn's telepathic message had told him to get Tess to Sickbay and get the shields down. Although he'd only managed the first half of that, the shields were taken out by another way, they should have been beamed off by now. Something was different, maybe his real crewmates couldn't transport them to safety.

Rhade did a check of the fake Healy's transporters, they seemed to still be working but with the real Healy's shields still up as well as the fighting still going it was risky to ask for them to drop shields. Then he recalled the external sensors and found a Cobra still following them within Transporter range.

"Perrrhaps we can link this ship's trransporrterrs with the Cobrras and chain all the way back to Katrra Station." L'mar suggested though he was already on hacking the targeting sensors to connect with the Cobra. "I've opened a trransmission with the Cobrra and the brridge shouldn't detect it as I've rrrrouted it thrrrough the impulse exhaust."

"Cobrrra, this is Rrrhade, I have Commanderrr t'Lhoell and herrr clone. Can you please chain link with Katrra Station's trranssporrterr arrray so we can beam back giving the rreal Healy the opportunity to destrroy the clones. Find and lock onto Lieutenant Saxon as well if you can. He should be on his way to the Brridge."

He got a hit almost right away.   Sickbay!  The visual showed bound Tess was being released by the Caitian. That meant the Tess on the biobed was his.  The Caitian then moved to a wall panel and began what rRayek could only assume was hacking the system.

On cue, "Sir! I've got activity on the transporters... they are targeting the lead most Cobra!"

rRayek snarled "I can see that! Stop them! Lock onto their biosigns with a transporter beam of your own and stop that transport signal!"

Oloze hunched her shoulders against the anger directed towards her. "Aye sir."

The Romulan left his tactical console and strode over to the command chair and turned about to look directly towards the viewscreen.  On its surface, he could see the mute image of himself reading some tactical readout on the real Healy.  Then his original looked up - as if sensing he was being watched.

rRayek rudely gestured towards the other, before calling out.  "Emergency Medical transport. One to Sickbay."

Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

Eli's flurry around the rHealy had hardly deterred the ship from its intended course-his rogue maneuverings was for not, it seemed. But, as his Cobras rejoined on his wing, and the Tholians taking up a new position, Eli felt that grim sense that their replicants were hardly done, damaged though they were.
The ship was now headed directly for the Healy. Eli wished he had a moment to get aboard, or sabotage their helm system. But, if the replicants knew them, inside and out, then his own counters would be largely useless.
Curse the luck...why did he have to be damn paranoid with the systems. He could hack regular systems...
Then the tight banded transmission from Rayek came through-and Eli almost dared smile. A daisy chain of transporters was the type of back door system play Eli appreciated. He still hadn't thought of a good nickname for it.

Cobras, begin to fan back, give the Tholians some room. I want interdiction between the rHealy and the Katra. We are going to need to ferry some crew. 

Rayek watched as the Cobras aligned themselves.  Soon they would be in position.

He looked over to Hrafn.  "See if you can get a message to Rhade... let him know the Cobras are gonna take him and Tess to the Katra."   It was safer to be sent to Katra, just in case, his doppelganger came up with some other plan to destroy both his ship and the Healy.

He glanced down at the arm console of the Command chair, trying to determine what his alternate self was planning next, since the attempt to ram was no longer possible.   Spotty sensors, due to the subspace storm still lingering in the area, showed that the ship had tried to go to warp only to fail.  Hrafn's excellent targeting had made even impulse difficult.  They were easily keeping themselves out of ramming range, even if their maneuverability was limited being stuck inside the web with the the other Healy.

Which reminded him.  He opened an audio only channel to the Tholian ship.  "Healy - the real one, to Tholian ship Acrux.   The Healy and her crew thank you for your assistance in preventing the escape of these duplicates.  Currently we have people still on the other Healy.  We will be having them beam out shortly.  While we don't expect you to release the web, if it is at all possible to 'weaken' the section in line with the Cobras that would be appreciated."

This next part Rayek was dreading, knowing that Solluk would have been likely watching this entire time without comment.  He made the call audio only as he double checked the sensor readings - yes, finally! There they were - two Ba'ku and one Caitian lifesigns.  He noted though that one Ba'ku signal was distorted, as if behind a forcefield. That would make locking onto it difficult if not impossible.  He prayed that the secured Tess was the fake and not his wife.

"USS Healy to Katra station - requesting transporter beam out of Katra personnel from the duplicate vessel via Cobra chain relay of the transporter beam.  They should be located in Sickbay.  Sending you link to our sensor data. And be aware that the beam will be going through the Tholian web, it could cause additional interference."

He looked up suddenly, some movement on the viewscreen catching his eye out of his periphery.  It was his alternate self standing in front of the Command chairs looking at him.  Rayek didn't like the look of the other's expression.  It was dark and furious.  His clone gestured to him rudely before silently calling out something which took a second for Rayek to decipher from the lip movement.   Emergency Medical Transport... Oh Fvadt!

"Hrafn, warn Rhade my alternate is transporting to sickbay!"  On screen,  the shimmer effect was beginning to encompass the fake Rayek.

Would the warning arrive in time?

"Healy to Katra - Beam them out now! My alternate is transporting to Sickbay.   He's going to kill them!"

[Kirok]

Replicant - Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

Soon the self-destruct announcement was piped through the rHealy as a false peace settled on the damaged ship with the lull in weapons fire.  Well, incoming weapons fire.  Outgoing phaser fire was still happening as rRayek tried to bring down the Healy's shields.

Glancing at his tactical display, gave the replicant Romulan no hope.  The Tholian web was fully intact.  The Klingon cruiser had yet to uncloak but was out there somewhere - ready to pounce should he somehow manage to escape the Tholian trap.   The cobras surprisingly enough were backing off... some faster than others - forming a line back towards the station.

That's when rRayek clued in.  The Cobras were forming a transporter chain.  The Tesses' were still aboard!

'Oh hell no!' He would take them into Hell with him.

"Ensign Oloze, Tess is still aboard with her original.  Find them!"

While the Ops officer sourly began checking what few sensors still worked on the ship, rRayek paused his attack on the Healy to search the ships security footage using the ships' facial recognition program to find her where the biometric sensors could not.

He got a hit almost right away.   Sickbay!  The visual showed bound Tess was being released by the Caitian. That meant the Tess on the biobed was his.  The Caitian then moved to a wall panel and began what rRayek could only assume was hacking the system.

On cue, "Sir! I've got activity on the transporters... they are targeting the lead most Cobra!"

rRayek snarled "I can see that! Stop them! Lock onto their biosigns with a transporter beam of your own and stop that transport signal!"

Oloze hunched her shoulders against the anger directed towards her. "Aye sir."

The Romulan left his tactical console and strode over to the command chair and turned about to look directly towards the viewscreen.  On its surface, he could see the mute image of himself reading some tactical readout on the real Healy.  Then his original looked up - as if sensing he was being watched.

rRayek rudely gestured towards the other, before calling out.  "Emergency Medical transport. One to Sickbay."

Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

Rayek watched as the Cobras aligned themselves.  Soon they would be in position.

He looked over to Hrafn.  "See if you can get a message to Rhade... let him know the Cobras are gonna take him and Tess to the Katra."   It was safer to be sent to Katra, just in case, his doppelganger came up with some other plan to destroy both his ship and the Healy.

He glanced down at the arm console of the Command chair, trying to determine what his alternate self was planning next, since the attempt to ram was no longer possible.   Spotty sensors, due to the subspace storm still lingering in the area, showed that the ship had tried to go to warp only to fail.  Hrafn's excellent targeting had made even impulse difficult.  They were easily keeping themselves out of ramming range, even if their maneuverability was limited being stuck inside the web with the the other Healy.

Which reminded him.  He opened an audio only channel to the Tholian ship.  "Healy - the real one, to Tholian ship Acrux.   The Healy and her crew thank you for your assistance in preventing the escape of these duplicates.  Currently we have people still on the other Healy.  We will be having them beam out shortly.  While we don't expect you to release the web, if it is at all possible to 'weaken' the section in line with the Cobras that would be appreciated."

This next part Rayek was dreading, knowing that Solluk would have been likely watching this entire time without comment.  He made the call audio only as he double checked the sensor readings - yes, finally! There they were - two Ba'ku and one Caitian lifesigns.  He noted though that one Ba'ku signal was distorted, as if behind a forcefield. That would make locking onto it difficult if not impossible.  He prayed that the secured Tess was the fake and not his wife.

"USS Healy to Katra station - requesting transporter beam out of Katra personnel from the duplicate vessel via Cobra chain relay of the transporter beam.  They should be located in Sickbay.  Sending you link to our sensor data. And be aware that the beam will be going through the Tholian web, it could cause additional interference."

He looked up suddenly, some movement on the viewscreen catching his eye out of his periphery.  It was his alternate self standing in front of the Command chairs looking at him.  Rayek didn't like the look of the other's expression.  It was dark and furious.  His clone gestured to him rudely before silently calling out something which took a second for Rayek to decipher from the lip movement.   Emergency Medical Transport... Oh Fvadt!

"Hrafn, warn Rhade my alternate is transporting to sickbay!"  On screen,  the shimmer effect was beginning to encompass the fake Rayek.

Would the warning arrive in time?

"Healy to Katra - Beam them out now! My alternate is transporting to Sickbay.   He's going to kill them!"

[Katra Station - Operational Control Center]

Zex heard the the real Healy respond to Eydis.  So she went onto the next message that came in.  And it was a big one.

She stood and turned to Solluk, but made the announcement to the other on the OCC.  "Sir.  The real Healy needs immediate transport of our real crew mates off of the false Healy to our sickbay. The Tholian's are going to weaken a spot in there net to allow us to do so" she said with urgency in her tone.

[Hrafn Falleg]

Replicant - Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

rRayek knew what it was.  He glanced over to rHrafn and muted the comm on his end.  In his original's memories she had been the first to make him feel welcome and a part of the Katra team.  While he knew those memories were a lie, that connection remained.  Just like his connection with Tess, his wife; who if captured would be forced by her programming to self-terminate.  And there was nothing rRayek could do - nothing but make sure the man he knew was somehow responsible, paid.

"Take a look around, Hrafn" he gestured towards the portion of the view screen still showing the tactical display with the incoming craft. The Tholian ship had taken out the torpedoes on route.. and would be drawing within phaser range soon.   rRayek had the weapon and speed stats of an average Tholian vessel memorized.  There was no chance they could run, not without the real Healy running interference, stalling the Tholian cruiser.

Also on the view screen were the Cobras, the others following the lead ship.  rRayek could hear the comm chatter from Katra trying to call the rogue ship back, but his paranoia told him that those ships too, when scenting the fake Healy's weakness at being outnumbered, would also go rogue or be ordered to attack now that Katra's Captain could see that the original Tess was no longer their captive. "We can't escape."

rRayek had paused in his return fire to answer rHrafn, now he re-engaged, targeting the Healy's shield protecting engineering.  He would continue his barrage until the last second before impact.

Which should have happened by now...  he glanced over towards the Helm and could see Ensign rStewart attempting to engage the warp drive... repeatedly.  But nothing was happening.  What had the Caitian done?! Fvadt!  "Do we at least have impulse still?" he called over to her as another volley from the other ship took it's toll on their shields, at this rate they wouldn't have much time.

The flight officer glanced over at his call.  "Yessir. We still the impulse engines."

"It'll do.. I want every ounce of speed she's got to run down that faelirh ch'susse-thrai" The vulgar term slipping out unintentionally in his frustration.

That's when the Healy unleashed a full spread of torpedoes towards their nacelles. The shields flared as they began to deflect the explosion.  Then the EPS conduit that powered that section of the shield failed, what was mere shuddering became a violent shake...  an alarm sounded on the bridge.. indicating that their impulse engines were down.  They were adrift.

As if to prove his earlier point of no escape he heard on the still open comm to the original Healy, his original calling to them. "There's no place to run... by now the Klingons have flanked your ship, the Tholians have begun their web - trapping us both.  You can't escape.  So I'm giving you another chance to surrender before we simply take your ship by force.  Power down your weapons and have all security lay down their firearms and prepare to be boarded."

rRayek looked to Hrafn.  "Prepare the self-destruct. Now!"

[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

rHrafn looked sadly at rRayek.  "Aye,.. I can't believe, actually I can that my counterpart is manning Tactical or that she's a good shot, but the inward turmoil will be great - she knows her Tess is over here somewhere... unless they managed to get her off the ship, but how... but she has to obey orders too.  What about your Tess, the baby..."

She initiated the self-destruct sequence with a last look at rRayek, realising it was the only thing they could do, and with hope take out some of the other ships with them.  She admired the resolve of rRayek, and always would...even if that was only for the next few minutes.

Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

The first few shots towards the fake Healy's Bridge did nothing. Minor drain on the shields that was all... easily recharged after a minute or so.  Yet Rayek hesitated to have her target more vital areas.. knowing Tess was on the ship.

It took his doppelgängers threat of ramming for Rayek to get serious and order the torpedoes on the nacelles.  Even that was doubtful to work but it was their best shot.

For a moment the shields of the fake Healy flared as the first of two struck and looked like the shield would hold strong.  Rayek was about to order another two torpedoes - timed to avoid the Tholian ship which darted about daringly - when the enemy's shields suddenly cut out and the delayed second torpedo hit its mark.  The nacelle was nearly shorn off completely.

Inwardly, he was equally elated at Hrafn's success, and even smirked at her comment despite the seriousness of the situation.  He was thrilled now that he had a chance to get back Tess.   "Hold fire!" he called out and signaled Katra's allies to do the same, hoping they would listen to him.

He muted the comm and looked to Oloze.  "Scan the fake Healy for Ba'ku and Caitian bio-signs, beam them to Sickbay" He chose sickbay rather than the Bridge because as with the fake Healy, Sickbay on the real Healy was the most secure location.

He didn't imagine his doppelganger would give up without more of a fight.

While Oloze worked to find Tess and the Caitian, Rayek unmuted the viewscreen which showed a still empty command chair.  "There's no place to run... by now the Klingons have flanked your ship, the Tholians have begun their web - trapping us both.  You can't escape.  So I'm giving you another chance to surrender before we simply take your ship by force.  Power down your weapons and have all security lay down their firearms and prepare to be boarded."

There was no response from the other ship.

He noticed Oloze signal for his attention and Hrafn's attention and he muted the comm once more. "Sirs?" the Ops officer glanced between the two uncertain which she should be addressing - Lt Falleg with the higher rank, or Ensign tr'Lhoell.. who was had stolen command at phaser point.  "I'm sorry I didn't notice before.. but at some point when they had control, they must have thrown in some computer virus.. the transporter system is completely affected."

Rayek quickly thought of options... the Acrux was closest but their normal environment was lethal to humanoid life..  he could try contacting the Klingons for assistance..  or ... he nodded at the thought.

"Open a channel to Lt Ferris.". He hoped when he explained about transporters being down the rogue Romulan pilot, he would be more than willing to daisy chain the transporter signal from the rHealy to the Healy, or maybe the station.. since he was half expecting his other self to come up with some other plan.

He frowned.  He did he have to be so stubborn?

[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

"Oh bother... I hope Tess, ours... didn't get too thrown by that. Sorry I didn't think about that I just fired!" Hrafn said with a worried look at Rayek.

She looked apologetically at Oloze then winked.  "Ensign tr'Lhoell is in charge at the moment, I don't argue with phasers!" she said but with a look on her face as if to say 'For the love of the Prophets, just go with it!', but enough mock-panic that if he didn't realise that she and Rayek were playing a ruse, it would look as if she were going along with Rayek because he was waving a phaser at her.  She hoped by now that he would have figured it out though, he wasn't stupid!

Replicant - Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

Soon the self-destruct announcement was piped through the rHealy as a false peace settled on the damaged ship with the lull in weapons fire.  Well, incoming weapons fire.  Outgoing phaser fire was still happening as rRayek tried to bring down the Healy's shields.

Glancing at his tactical display, gave the replicant Romulan no hope.  The Tholian web was fully intact.  The Klingon cruiser had yet to uncloak but was out there somewhere - ready to pounce should he somehow manage to escape the Tholian trap.   The cobras surprisingly enough were backing off... some faster than others - forming a line back towards the station.

That's when rRayek clued in.  The Cobras were forming a transporter chain.  The Tesses' were still aboard!

'Oh hell no!' He would take them into Hell with him.

"Ensign Oloze, Tess is still aboard with her original.  Find them!"

While the Ops officer sourly began checking what few sensors still worked on the ship, rRayek paused his attack on the Healy to search the ships security footage using the ships' facial recognition program to find her where the biometric sensors could not.

He got a hit almost right away.   Sickbay!  The visual showed bound Tess was being released by the Caitian. That meant the Tess on the biobed was his.  The Caitian then moved to a wall panel and began what rRayek could only assume was hacking the system.

On cue, "Sir! I've got activity on the transporters... they are targeting the lead most Cobra!"

rRayek snarled "I can see that! Stop them! Lock onto their biosigns with a transporter beam of your own and stop that transport signal!"

Oloze hunched her shoulders against the anger directed towards her. "Aye sir."

The Romulan left his tactical console and strode over to the command chair and turned about to look directly towards the viewscreen.  On its surface, he could see the mute image of himself reading some tactical readout on the real Healy.  Then his original looked up - as if sensing he was being watched.

rRayek rudely gestured towards the other, before calling out.  "Emergency Medical transport. One to Sickbay."

[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

rHrafn figured "Of course, the safest place on the ship..." she just managed to get out before rRayek was calling for transport there, also raising her eyebrows at his less than gentlemanly outburst that she had no need of the UT to translate.  That said, even if the UT's weren't working, anyone on the Bridge would have figured that he was not in a good mood!

When rOloze indicated that they were forming a transporter chain with the Cobras she shook her head, not knowing who would get there first.

Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

Rayek watched as the Cobras aligned themselves.  Soon they would be in position.

He looked over to Hrafn.  "See if you can get a message to Rhade... let him know the Cobras are gonna take him and Tess to the Katra."   It was safer to be sent to Katra, just in case, his doppelganger came up with some other plan to destroy both his ship and the Healy.

He glanced down at the arm console of the Command chair, trying to determine what his alternate self was planning next, since the attempt to ram was no longer possible.   Spotty sensors, due to the subspace storm still lingering in the area, showed that the ship had tried to go to warp only to fail.  Hrafn's excellent targeting had made even impulse difficult.  They were easily keeping themselves out of ramming range, even if their maneuverability was limited being stuck inside the web with the the other Healy.

Which reminded him.  He opened an audio only channel to the Tholian ship.  "Healy - the real one, to Tholian ship Acrux.   The Healy and her crew thank you for your assistance in preventing the escape of these duplicates.  Currently we have people still on the other Healy.  We will be having them beam out shortly.  While we don't expect you to release the web, if it is at all possible to 'weaken' the section in line with the Cobras that would be appreciated."

This next part Rayek was dreading, knowing that Solluk would have been likely watching this entire time without comment.  He made the call audio only as he double checked the sensor readings - yes, finally! There they were - two Ba'ku and one Caitian lifesigns.  He noted though that one Ba'ku signal was distorted, as if behind a forcefield. That would make locking onto it difficult if not impossible.  He prayed that the secured Tess was the fake and not his wife.

"USS Healy to Katra station - requesting transporter beam out of Katra personnel from the duplicate vessel via Cobra chain relay of the transporter beam.  They should be located in Sickbay.  Sending you link to our sensor data. And be aware that the beam will be going through the Tholian web, it could cause additional interference."

He looked up suddenly, some movement on the viewscreen catching his eye out of his periphery.  It was his alternate self standing in front of the Command chairs looking at him.  Rayek didn't like the look of the other's expression.  It was dark and furious.  His clone gestured to him rudely before silently calling out something which took a second for Rayek to decipher from the lip movement.   Emergency Medical Transport... Oh Fvadt!

"Hrafn, warn Rhade my alternate is transporting to sickbay!"  On screen,  the shimmer effect was beginning to encompass the fake Rayek.

Would the warning arrive in time?

"Healy to Katra - Beam them out now! My alternate is transporting to Sickbay.   He's going to kill them!"

[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

"On it!" Hrafn said and tried contacting Rhade.

[MIND MSG] Rhade?  This is Hrafn again... I'm hoping you're getting these messages and sorry this is the only way we have.  We've asked Katra to pull you out, the Cobras are forming a transporter chain as we speak.  Be warned fake Rayek on his way to Sickbay, protect Commander t'Lhoell, do whatever it takes, but be safe yourself. See you on Katra, we hope, Falleg out.[/MIND MSG]

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

"Sir.  The real Healy needs immediate transport of our real crew mates off of the false Healy to our sickbay. The Tholian's are going to weaken a spot in there net to allow us to do so."

Solluk turned to Goodspeed, "Lieutenant.  You have the foremost technical knowhow in this situation.  Katra will need to interface with this transporter chain and most likely provide the bulk of power for its success.  Use all resources at your disposal.  Bring our people home."

IKS Lod Qan - Bridge

"HoD," Tolec called from the Science station, "It appears that a transporter chain is being established using a sequence of fighter-craft, and a transport signal is being initiated on the false USS Healy.  But there is an interference pattern being generated by a competing transport signal.  It seems someone on the false Healy does not want anyone beamed off."

"If the Katra fighters are cooperating with this beamout attempt," Noh'ves reasoned, "I can only surmise that the beamout is beneficial to Katra.  Is there a way that we can interfere with the signal of interference?"

"Yes, HoD," Tolec confirmed, "though this old cruiser does not have the energy reserves or emitter sophistication to emit a substantial annular confinement beam while also maintaining our cloak."

Noh'ves set his jaw, "Vilka, Decloak.  I am moving us closer.  Tolec, use our annular confinement beam to disrupt the annular confinement beam that is disrupting the original beam-out attempt."

"Cloak deactivated!" Vilka announced, injecting her usual enthusiasm into the declaration.

Tolec's hands were on his console, "And now for a game of reversal... annular confinement beam initiated.  We should be disrupting their disruption."

Noh'ves maintained the ship's position near the web, hoping he had made the right call.  This entire affair had been a soup of confusion.  But in the end, when faced with doubt, there was only ever a single correct choice for a Klingon: Act Decisively.

[Eydis]

[Tholian web spanner ]Eydis would tilt hir head a bit at the new order but pass it on to the widows. Over the lattice to avoid it been detecting by the false Healy. The Klingon cruiser had just appeared as well. Eydis had been wondering when they might do that.

The the widows would interconnect themselves with the same web emitters and approach the section of the the web the cobras had begun to form up on. The widows would then enter into the web and make a small hole large enough for a cobra or a focused energy beam to pass through.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Replicant - Ensign Nadia Oloze
[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

She initiated the self-destruct sequence with a last look at rRayek, realising it was the only thing they could do, and with hope take out some of the other ships with them.  She admired the resolve of rRayek, and always would...even if that was only for the next few minutes.
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.
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rHrafn figured "Of course, the safest place on the ship..." she just managed to get out before rRayek was calling for transport there, also raising her eyebrows at his less than gentlemanly outburst that she had no need of the UT to translate.  That said, even if the UT's weren't working, anyone on the Bridge would have figured that he was not in a good mood!

When rOloze indicated that they were forming a transporter chain with the Cobras she shook her head, not knowing who would get there first.

The self-destruction alarms sounded. Working to gain a transporter lock on the lifesigns as ordered by rRayek, rNadia encountered a problem at first - that there was a forcefield.   The Bajoran replicant didn't curse like the Romulan would have, instead she kept testing the forcefields strength.  If the Cobras were setting up to link all their emergency transporters that meant the field would have to come down at some point.  She'd have to be ready to disrupt and lock on when it did.

Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm](earlier)

[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

"Oh bother... I hope Tess, ours... didn't get too thrown by that. Sorry I didn't think about that I just fired!" Hrafn said with a worried look at Rayek.

She looked apologetically at Oloze then winked.  "Ensign tr'Lhoell is in charge at the moment, I don't argue with phasers!" she said but with a look on her face as if to say 'For the love of the Prophets, just go with it!', but enough mock-panic that if he didn't realise that she and Rayek were playing a ruse, it would look as if she were going along with Rayek because he was waving a phaser at her.  She hoped by now that he would have figured it out though, he wasn't stupid!

While the exchange of phaser fire occurred between the two ships, every shot fired towards the fake by Hrafn was like a knife twisting in his gut.  Despite his attempt to ensure Tess' safety through his plan with Rhade - he was so fortunate the Caitian had been aboard - there were no assurances.

Hrafn's words to Ensign Oloze at this point, after he had dropped the pretense of allying with the fake Rayek, was worrisome.   Why was she continuing the ploy of him threatening her life, now after they'd already proven it was a ploy by attacking the fake Healy?

After they rescued Tess and Rhade, he was relying on Hrafn to vouch that his 'mutiny' had all been an act - one that she had known was an act all the while.  Would she say such when questioned by Saxon or Solluk later when they investigated the matter?  Would it make a difference?  Act or not originally... it was he who was giving the orders currently...

Rayek frown realizing this.  Best correct that before he got too comfortable.  He had intended to pass off command back to Hrafn once there was a suitable pause in the battle but one thing led to another and now it seemed almost rude to pass off command in the midst of a crisis.   Once he knew Tess had been beamed safely away... then he'd give up the command seat.  He just needed to know the Cobra transporter chain had worked.

Replicant - Ensign Nadia Oloze
[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

"Sir.  The real Healy needs immediate transport of our real crew mates off of the false Healy to our sickbay. The Tholian's are going to weaken a spot in there net to allow us to do so."

Solluk turned to Goodspeed, "Lieutenant.  You have the foremost technical knowhow in this situation.  Katra will need to interface with this transporter chain and most likely provide the bulk of power for its success.  Use all resources at your disposal.  Bring our people home."

It seemed that no sooner had rRayek called for transport to Sickbay, than the forcefield was dropped and a transporter signal attempted to lock onto the three lifesigns in Sickbay.  But rNadia was ready and overlapped that transporter signal with her own, disrupting the transporter signal - locking the three in a sort of transporter limbo.

The Bajoran noted as she did this that rRayek's beam in went through.

IKS Lod Qan - Bridge

"HoD," Tolec called from the Science station, "It appears that a transporter chain is being established using a sequence of fighter-craft, and a transport signal is being initiated on the false USS Healy.  But there is an interference pattern being generated by a competing transport signal.  It seems someone on the false Healy does not want anyone beamed off."

"If the Katra fighters are cooperating with this beamout attempt," Noh'ves reasoned, "I can only surmise that the beam out is beneficial to Katra.  Is there a way that we can interfere with the signal of interference?"

"Yes, HoD," Tolec confirmed, "though this old cruiser does not have the energy reserves or emitter sophistication to emit a substantial annular confinement beam while also maintaining our cloak."

Noh'ves set his jaw, "Vilka, Decloak.  I am moving us closer.  Tolec, use our annular confinement beam to disrupt the annular confinement beam that is disrupting the original beam-out attempt."

"Cloak deactivated!" Vilka announced, injecting her usual enthusiasm into the declaration.

Tolec's hands were on his console, "And now for a game of reversal... annular confinement beam initiated.  We should be disrupting their disruption."

The sudden appearance of the Klingon ship was alarming as usually it preceded an onslaught of torpedoes and weapons fire.  But not today.  Today, the Klingons seemed intent on making rNadia's life difficult by disrupting her overlapping transporter signal which was meant to keep the Cobra chain from transporting the three out of sickbay.   She couldn't let that happen!  rRayek would be furious if they managed to escape!

"Lieutenant!" she called out toward Lieutenant rFalleg. "Klingon cruiser has decloaked.  They are using their annular confinement beam to disrupt mine which is disrupting the Cobras chain transport.   I can't hold all three."

Replicant - Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS rHealy - Deck Six - Sickbay - Day 3 - 3pm]

Mentally, rRayek was a mess, in the space of less than an hour his life - or what he'd thought of as his life - had been turned upside down.  He was a replicated lifeform intended to sabotage Katra station which was his original's starfleet assignment.  rRayek had most of the original's memories, thought and feelings - which is why he risked everything right now to try to gain back 'his wife'.

Anticipating resistance at his beam in, rRayek upon arriving did a quick check.   But even as he pointed his phaser towards Rhade,  he saw that a transporter effect was taking hold of all three.  No! His Tess!

[Tess tLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (6 months pregnant)
[USS rHealy - Deck 6 - Sickbay]

[ Provisional Junior Lieutenant L'mar Rhade ] | [ Deck 6 - Sickbay | USS rHealy ] - [ DAY 3. AFTERNOON. ]

Once the pain was not so strong, Rhade could focus his mind and smiled at Tess. "Thank you and please calm yourrself Commanderrr." L'mar began, his words were losing the rolling sound.

"Panic is counterrprroductive." L'mar commented as he slowly got to his feet. He had been really lucky to already have been on the floor when that last violent shaking. "If you will turrrn arrround Commanderr?" L'mar asked and aimed his rifle at the locking mechanism of the metal bonds that held Tess' arms together.

He fired and it fell to the floor. Rhade then made his way over to the Surgery Suite console after picking up his rifle. Checking the sensors, he grinned, it seemed that this Healy's shields had failed during that shaking. But why were they still here?

Hrafn's telepathic message had told him to get Tess to Sickbay and get the shields down. Although he'd only managed the first half of that, the shields were taken out by another way, they should have been beamed off by now. Something was different, maybe his real crewmates couldn't transport them to safety.

Rhade did a check of the fake Healy's transporters, they seemed to still be working but with the real Healy's shields still up as well as the fighting still going it was risky to ask for them to drop shields. Then he recalled the external sensors and found a Cobra still following them within Transporter range.

"Perrrhaps we can link this ship's trransporrterrs with the Cobrras and chain all the way back to Katrra Station." L'mar suggested though he was already on hacking the targeting sensors to connect with the Cobra. "I've opened a trransmission with the Cobrra and the brridge shouldn't detect it as I've rrrrouted it thrrrough the impulse exhaust."

"Cobrrra, this is Rrrhade, I have Commanderrr t'Lhoell and herrr clone. Can you please chain link with Katrra Station's trranssporrterr arrray so we can beam back giving the rreal Healy the opportunity to destrroy the clones. Find and lock onto Lieutenant Saxon as well if you can. He should be on his way to the Brridge."

It took everything in Tess not to snap at Rhade. But that was counterproductive right now so she kept her mouth shut. She was glad when she was released from her bounds and that Rhade finally called for a beam out. And Saxon was aboard as well??
Tess glanced to her still unconscious copy lying on the biobed, secured in a forcefield. Was it wrong of her to feel sadness that she would die? Or was that even normal?

The chime of the transporter drew her attention away from her fake self. However, just as the transporter beam had taken hold of them, the procedure aborted. Tess glanced around in confusion - when suddenly another person beamed in. Rayek?! Or ... no ... the look on his face, his composure, it screamed hostility. This was the fake Rayek. It was the first time Tess saw such a look on him.

His beaming in had probably muddled with their beam out. Realization hit Tess when she saw the weapon in rRayek's hand.

"t'Lhoell to Cobra, try again!" But her call had been unnecessary. The transporter beam took hold of them once more and they vanished from the fake Healy.

[Katra Station - Deck 22 - Sickbay]

Tess found herself on a biobed in sickbay. Sickbay. This was Katra's sickbay. They have made it! They were in safety!

Before a nurse could approach her, Tess sat up - and winced. Her left side where she had been crashing into the workstation on fake Healy hurt. No doubt a contusion. She looked around and noticed with relief that Rhade was safe as well. She didn't see Saxon though ... maybe he had been beamed to a different location ... or had already been leaving sickbay.

Tess slid off the biobed with a pained grimace  despite the nurse trying to stop her. She looked to Rhade. "Thank you, Lieutenant." She held his gaze a moment longer than normal, hoping it would convey everything that was included in her words.

"t'Lhoell to Captain Solluk." Damn. Breathing made her side hurt too. She took short breaths as she spoke. "Lieutenant Rhade and I have been beamed to Katra's sickbay." As she spoke she headed toward the exit to get to the turbolift. But the nurse blocked her way.

"Sorry, Ma'am, but I must ask you to let me check you over before you leave. You obviously are in pain."

Tess stopped in her tracks, letting out a reluctant breath. She knew he was right. She had to think of the baby, she couldn't let anything happen to him. She nodded her agreement. "Lieutenant Rhade is injured as well, please make sure he's looked after as well", she said to the nurse before continuing to talk to Solluk. "I need to stay in sickbay to be checked over." She planned on getting up at the OCC as quick as possible. "The Healy, Captain... is she okay?"  Of course she was worried. And admittedly, a bit of a mess.

[Catherine Goodspeed]

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

"Sir.  The real Healy needs immediate transport of our real crew mates off of the false Healy to our sickbay. The Tholian's are going to weaken a spot in there net to allow us to do so."

Solluk turned to Goodspeed, "Lieutenant.  You have the foremost technical knowhow in this situation.  Katra will need to interface with this transporter chain and most likely provide the bulk of power for its success.  Use all resources at your disposal.  Bring our people home."

Katra Station OCC

Cat Goodspeed nodded at the Captain and turned to the console in front of her and set to work.

Normally people assumed that you needed two points like A to B for transporters to work but in fact you could have as many relay points as you needed.

Using the Cobras as a mini transporter relay chain was almost like skipping stones on a still pond surface.  Each hit of the Cobras personal transporter sent a ripple to the next and the next and the next until the signal reached the final main staging area and could be unscrambled back into their original form again.

Simple, but very effective. Line them up and let it rip.

Cat chewed her lip as she worked out the calculations in her head of the power ratio and where she could draw it from without putting the entire station at risk.

She tilted her head slightly as if agreeing with a thought she had and the computer figures she saw in front of her.  Take a bit from each and every area.  A small nibble from each was better than a large bite from one.  Plus less change of something else blowing up.

Cats concentrated on the figures and data dancing before her eyes before finally being happy with the calculations and sent the data straight to the main transporter rooms console.

Catherine Goodspeed to Transporter room

I've send you the data needed to undertake the transport.  Lock on to all Healy staff signals on that ship the SECOND you get a chance and once you have them beam them back as fast as you can... do you have security with you?

Transporter room here... we had Security standing outside, I called them into the room the moment you called Sir

Catherine here, well done! Then action it quickly, only small window... go!

[L'mar Camili Rhade]

[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

"On it!" Hrafn said and tried contacting Rhade.

[MIND MSG] Rhade?  This is Hrafn again... I'm hoping you're getting these messages and sorry this is the only way we have.  We've asked Katra to pull you out, the Cobras are forming a transporter chain as we speak.  Be warned fake Rayek on his way to Sickbay, protect Commander t'Lhoell, do whatever it takes, but be safe yourself. See you on Katra, we hope, Falleg out.[/MIND MSG]

[ Provisional Junior Lieutenant L'mar Rhade ] | [ Deck 6 - Sickbay | USS rHealy ] - [ DAY 3. AFTERNOON. ]

Working on the transporter targeting sensors, Rhade felt the now familiar touch of Hrafn�s mind again. She mindtalked about the transporter chain. He smirked as it seemed that nearly everyone was getting the same idea as he was. Then she warned him that Rayek�s clone was on his way. That was not good!

He quickly checked the forcefield was still up, and the doors were locked. Those were the only ways in, the Jefferies tubes maybe? Rhade glanced over to the access hatch. The forcefield would block anyone coming in there. Then his question was answered when the angry fake Romulan�s transporter beam began to appear when the same effect began around Rhade�s vision. Clearly his forcefield was now down or got holes in it. He raised his rifle at the Romulan but couldn�t fire till the matterstream finished, he growled his impatience.

He looked over at both Tesses, a transporter beam was surrounding them as well. It seemed the link with Katra Station was established and the rescue in progress. Though the effect dropped, or froze, Rhade heard Tess command the Cobra pilot to try again and it began again. Rhade looked back at rRayek, who was fully materialised now, and he was pointing directly at him, Rhade wanted to fire but it would impact the transporter signal. He couldn�t risk any of them by doing that.

[ Deck 22 - Main Medical Bay | Katra Station ] - [ DAY 3. EARLY EVENING. ]

Rhade�s vision of the fake sickbay vanished and Katra Station�s larger medical bay appeared. It worked, though now he was going to have to face the Captain and his disregard of orders. Invalid now, though he doubted that had any impact in his defense. Rhade decided that he�d take the punishment and be proud of his assisting in saving his superior officer.

He looked around for Saxon and didn�t see the old man, Rhade hoped that he had been beamed back. Whatever Saxon's fate, Rhade was glad he hadn�t let the Strategic Operations Officer down by getting Tess and her baby home with help from the Cobras. He heard Tess get off a biobed in pain and from his bed made eye contact with her. She thanked him and he could see the warmth and gratefulness in her eyes.

�Yourrr welcome Commanderrr. Maybe you can put in a good worrrrd with the Captain forrrr me?� L�mar said his words gained more rolling sound. He suddenly realised she didn�t know what her clone had done but he was sure that the Captain would inform her of her clone�s actions. �Yourrr clone.� L�mar added by way of explanation.

Rhade liked that Tess realised that she had to submit to Medical instead of galavant off to command. She asked the Captain how the Healy was doing. �What about Lieutenant Saxon?� L�mar asked Tess.

[Kirok]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (6 months pregnant)
[USS rHealy - Deck 6 - Sickbay]

It took everything in Tess not to snap at Rhade. But that was counterproductive right now so she kept her mouth shut. She was glad when she was released from her bounds and that Rhade finally called for a beam out. And Saxon was aboard as well??
Tess glanced to her still unconscious copy lying on the biobed, secured in a forcefield. Was it wrong of her to feel sadness that she would die? Or was that even normal?

The chime of the transporter drew her attention away from her fake self. However, just as the transporter beam had taken hold of them, the procedure aborted. Tess glanced around in confusion - when suddenly another person beamed in. Rayek?! Or ... no ... the look on his face, his composure, it screamed hostility. This was the fake Rayek. It was the first time Tess saw such a look on him.

His beaming in had probably muddled with their beam out. Realization hit Tess when she saw the weapon in rRayek's hand.

"t'Lhoell to Cobra, try again!" But her call had been unnecessary. The transporter beam took hold of them once more and they vanished from the fake Healy.

[Katra Station - Deck 22 - Sickbay]

Tess found herself on a biobed in sickbay. Sickbay. This was Katra's sickbay. They have made it! They were in safety!

Before a nurse could approach her, Tess sat up - and winced. Her left side where she had been crashing into the workstation on fake Healy hurt. No doubt a contusion. She looked around and noticed with relief that Rhade was safe as well. She didn't see Saxon though ... maybe he had been beamed to a different location ... or had already been leaving sickbay.

Tess slid off the biobed with a pained grimace  despite the nurse trying to stop her. She looked to Rhade. "Thank you, Lieutenant." She held his gaze a moment longer than normal, hoping it would convey everything that was included in her words.

"t'Lhoell to Captain Solluk." Damn. Breathing made her side hurt too. She took short breaths as she spoke. "Lieutenant Rhade and I have been beamed to Katra's sickbay." As she spoke she headed toward the exit to get to the turbolift. But the nurse blocked her way.

"Sorry, Ma'am, but I must ask you to let me check you over before you leave. You obviously are in pain."

Tess stopped in her tracks, letting out a reluctant breath. She knew he was right. She had to think of the baby, she couldn't let anything happen to him. She nodded her agreement. "Lieutenant Rhade is injured as well, please make sure he's looked after as well", she said to the nurse before continuing to talk to Solluk. "I need to stay in sickbay to be checked over." She planned on getting up at the OCC as quick as possible. "The Healy, Captain... is she okay?"  Of course she was worried. And admittedly, a bit of a mess.

Katra Station OCC

Zex followed the action as it occurred over the comms.  Tess and Rhade had been transport to sickbay.  Successfully.

The Deltan sank back into her seat.  Relieved that her friend was ok.  Mentally exhausted from all that had transpired.

Tess had asked about the Healy.  Directly asking Solluk what had happened to it.  Despite this, she looked at the holotable to see if it would give her an answer.

[Solluk]

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

The Sensor readings of the replicant Healy showed an extreme sensor spike.  Then, with a terrific flash of light and violence, the duplicant vessel detonated.  Even as it did so, the bridge module of the vessel explosively detached and soared away on the wavefront of unimaginable energy.  Though the occupants of the bridge module were almost certainly shaken by the experience, it seemed that they might possibly survive.

Perhaps there would be additional prisoners, and even data on the bridge subprocessors.

But that was not Solluk's immediate concern.

"Confirm we have them."  He could scarcely believe it had worked.  "Confirm we have everyone, and that they are all right!  And get a status from our Healy.  She was too close to that blast for comfort."

Deck 20

Having finally gotten the all-clear to remove the device from Security, Mary stepped towards it with her toolkit.  Some smuggler somewhere was going to have a bad day when they realized their Elway device was gone.  The tech was rare, and ludicrously expensive on the black-market.  Its ability to penetrate shields was the big selling point.  The side-effect of corrupting cellular DNA with each use was less-so.  Someone might survive a couple of uses of the device and be okay.  But more than that, and it was a flirtation with irreversible damage.  For this reason, the devices were most often used in this way:  To bring in smuggled goods.

At least, she assumed that's what it was being used for.   The thought that people might be smuggled aboard with such a device was too terrible to consider.  Especially since they couldn't exactly go for medical treatment without a Doctor quickly realizing what had happened.

She wondered how many people might have succumbed to the slow creep of deadly cancers because they had been smuggled in such a way?  It was better not to think about it.

As Mary knelt to begin removing the device, suddenly there was a flash of light.

A wild Saxon appeared!

Mary jumped back, her mouth wide in surprise.   "Lieutenant Saxon!  You're the smuggler?!"

Saxon looked at her, a bruise on one eye, blood trickling from his mouth and nose, "I have only smuggled myself, Cadet.  I find... it is always beneficial... to have a Plan... C."

With those words, he collapsed upon the deck.   Mary gaped for a moment in panic before quickly smacking her combadge, Cadet Rayne requesting emergency transport to sickbay for Lieutenant Saxon!

IKS Lod Qan - Bridge

"HoD, the bridge module detached just before detonation.  It is... mostly intact."

"Perhaps it contains some intelligence.  Tractor it into our shuttlebay.  We should have some room, now."  A grim reminder of what had happened to their second shuttle.  "Have any available warriors report to the bay as well, in case there are survivors who wish to see Sto-vo-kor."

He maneuvered the ship from the helm console to facilitate the capture.

"Then contact the Healy.  They were close to that blast, and may require assistance."

[Kirok]

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

The Sensor readings of the replicant Healy showed an extreme sensor spike.  Then, with a terrific flash of light and violence, the duplicant vessel detonated.  Even as it did so, the bridge module of the vessel explosively detached and soared away on the wavefront of unimaginable energy.  Though the occupants of the bridge module were almost certainly shaken by the experience, it seemed that they might possibly survive.

Perhaps there would be additional prisoners, and even data on the bridge subprocessors.

But that was not Solluk's immediate concern.

"Confirm we have them."  He could scarcely believe it had worked.  "Confirm we have everyone, and that they are all right!  And get a status from our Healy.  She was too close to that blast for comfort."

Deck 20

Having finally gotten the all-clear to remove the device from Security, Mary stepped towards it with her toolkit.  Some smuggler somewhere was going to have a bad day when they realized their Elway device was gone.  The tech was rare, and ludicrously expensive on the black-market.  Its ability to penetrate shields was the big selling point.  The side-effect of corrupting cellular DNA with each use was less-so.  Someone might survive a couple of uses of the device and be okay.  But more than that, and it was a flirtation with irreversible damage.  For this reason, the devices were most often used in this way:  To bring in smuggled goods.

At least, she assumed that's what it was being used for.   The thought that people might be smuggled aboard with such a device was too terrible to consider.  Especially since they couldn't exactly go for medical treatment without a Doctor quickly realizing what had happened.

She wondered how many people might have succumbed to the slow creep of deadly cancers because they had been smuggled in such a way?  It was better not to think about it.

As Mary knelt to begin removing the device, suddenly there was a flash of light.

A wild Saxon appeared!

Mary jumped back, her mouth wide in surprise.   "Lieutenant Saxon!  You're the smuggler?!"

Saxon looked at her, a bruise on one eye, blood trickling from his mouth and nose, "I have only smuggled myself, Cadet.  I find... it is always beneficial... to have a Plan... C."

With those words, he collapsed upon the deck.   Mary gaped for a moment in panic before quickly smacking her combadge, Cadet Rayne requesting emergency transport to sickbay for Lieutenant Saxon!

IKS Lod Qan - Bridge

"HoD, the bridge module detached just before detonation.  It is... mostly intact."

"Perhaps it contains some intelligence.  Tractor it into our shuttlebay.  We should have some room, now."  A grim reminder of what had happened to their second shuttle.  "Have any available warriors report to the bay as well, in case there are survivors who wish to see Sto-vo-kor."

He maneuvered the ship from the helm console to facilitate the capture.

"Then contact the Healy.  They were close to that blast, and may require assistance."

[Katra Station OCC]

Zex could not help but gasp when the fake Healy exploded.  She knew that Tess and Rhade were safe.  But still there were other soles that must have been lost.

For a moment, everything went dim.  But just for a moment.  Then she heard Solluk issuing orders.

"Yes, Sir" she responded.  Then opened a channel to the real Healy.  =/\-Katra to the Healy.  Report.  What is your status?-/\= she said in a rushed manner. 

[Rayek trLhoell]

Replicant - Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS rHealy - Deck Six - Sickbay - Day 3 - 3pm]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell (6 months pregnant)
[USS rHealy - Deck 6 - Sickbay]

The chime of the transporter drew her attention away from her fake self. However, just as the transporter beam had taken hold of them, the procedure aborted. Tess glanced around in confusion - when suddenly another person beamed in. Rayek?! Or ... no ... the look on his face, his composure, it screamed hostility. This was the fake Rayek. It was the first time Tess saw such a look on him.

His beaming in had probably muddled with their beam out. Realization hit Tess when she saw the weapon in rRayek's hand.

"t'Lhoell to Cobra, try again!" But her call had been unnecessary. The transporter beam took hold of them once more and they vanished from the fake Healy.

[ Provisional Junior Lieutenant L'mar Rhade ] | [ Deck 6 - Sickbay | USS rHealy ] - [ DAY 3. AFTERNOON. ]

Working on the transporter targeting sensors, Rhade felt the now familiar touch of Hrafn's mind again. She mindtalked about the transporter chain. He smirked as it seemed that nearly everyone was getting the same idea as he was. Then she warned him that Rayek's clone was on his way. That was not good!

He quickly checked the forcefield was still up, and the doors were locked. Those were the only ways in, the Jefferies tubes maybe? Rhade glanced over to the access hatch. The forcefield would block anyone coming in there. Then his question was answered when the angry fake Romulan's transporter beam began to appear when the same effect began around Rhade's vision. Clearly his forcefield was now down or got holes in it. He raised his rifle at the Romulan but couldn't fire till the matterstream finished, he growled his impatience.

He looked over at both Tesses, a transporter beam was surrounding them as well. It seemed the link with Katra Station was established and the rescue in progress. Though the effect dropped, or froze, Rhade heard Tess command the Cobra pilot to try again and it began again. Rhade looked back at rRayek, who was fully materialised now, and he was pointing directly at him, Rhade wanted to fire but it would impact the transporter signal. He couldn't risk any of them by doing that.

From where rRayek materialized, Tess was closest.  She was 'dead in his sights' as the phrase went.   Yet the replicant found that he hesitated on firing as she called again for a beam out.   With a scowl he switched targets, aiming for the farther Caitian who had phaser rifle pointed at him, but by the time rRayek's shot left his weapon, the transporter effect had already begun the dematerialization and was in the process of sending them across space to the first of the Cobras where the pattern was then pushed forward onto the next Cobra... and from there onto the next.. and the next until final they would arrive at Katra Station.

Turning to the biobed, the replicant Romulan stared in a mix of hope and despair at the space where his Tess was still fading in and out of view from behind a biobed forcefield.

After a moment the transporter effect cut out and Tess was left unconscious on the bed.  With the countdown to self-destruct announcing the last 30 seconds.  Rayek canceled the forcefield around the bed, allowing him access to hold his wife.   He called on the biobed to administer a dose of adrenaline and animazine.   He was no doctor but hoped the combination would be enough to wake her so that he could say his final goodbyes.  He selfishly wanted to see her smile at him one last time.

He sat on the mattress beside her and pulled her into his embrace calling to her while she woke. "Tess?  Tess... I thought I had lost you.  E'lev, there are only moments left but just want you to know.... I-jol au - I don't regret a single moment spent with you.  These memories given us and the ones we created together - they will hold me over into the hereafter where I will find you so we can start anew."

Replicant - Ensign Nadia Oloz
[USS rHealy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

rNadia slumped back into her seat as the transporter beam that had attempted to finally stopped.  She'd been forced to focus on holding back just one bio sign.. she'd one in the forcefield hoping that it was their Tess.   While it might seem to have been done to keep the  loving couple together... the prompt really was just more Thinker programming intended to keep replicant technology out of enemy hands.

The Bajoran ops officer clone looked over towards rHrafn and gave the other woman a slight half smile.  "Do you think the Prophets had a place in their plan for the likes of us?"

Ensign Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge - Day 3 - 3pm]

From his spot in the Captain's seat of the Healy, Rayek waited impatiently for some acknowledgement of their warning.  Some announcement that the plan had worked.   He alternated between watching the screen and glancing down to the armconsole of the chair..  he had the Ops console mirrored so he could 'see' what was going on aboard the other ship.

He'd clenched his fist in frustration as he could do nothing.   There seemed to be a convergence of three separate annular confinement beams - one from station, a second from the fake Healy and the third from the uncloaked Klingon ship.  Then the beams ended... and one Ba'ku lifesign remained in Sickbay with his clone.   His Tess or the fake?

Had it worked?  Or had the subspace distortions had some unforeseen effect on the transport beam.

Rayek stood unable with his impatience and current nerves to remain seated.   He turned partially back towards the seat to reach for the communications screen, when the self-destruct countdown ended.

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

The Sensor readings of the replicant Healy showed an extreme sensor spike.  Then, with a terrific flash of light and violence, the duplicant vessel detonated.  Even as it did so, the bridge module of the vessel explosively detached and soared away on the wavefront of unimaginable energy.  Though the occupants of the bridge module were almost certainly shaken by the experience, it seemed that they might possibly survive.

Perhaps there would be additional prisoners, and even data on the bridge subprocessors.

But that was not Solluk's immediate concern.

"Confirm we have them."  He could scarcely believe it had worked.  "Confirm we have everyone, and that they are all right!  And get a status from our Healy.  She was too close to that blast for comfort."

While he waited for a response from Zex or some other Ops personnel on Katra, the whole of the viewscreen flared brilliant white with the view of the fake Healy exploding.  The shock wave hit the Healy bow first which thankfully lessened the strength of it's impact.  Yet still the ship bucked.

Rayek, standing beside his chair with his focus on waiting for a response to his call, didn't have time to brace himself.  He was thrown back towards the safety railing.  The railing struck him in the side with such force that the air was knocked from him.  He'd injured his wrist in the fall as well when he'd attempted to put out a hand to catch himself.

He groaned from the floor of the Healy as his call finally connected.

[Katra Station OCC]

Zex could not help but gasp when the fake Healy exploded.  She knew that Tess and Rhade were safe.  But still there were other soles that must have been lost.

For a moment, everything went dim.  But just for a moment.  Then she heard Solluk issuing orders.

"Yes, Sir" she responded.  Then opened a channel to the real Healy.  =/\-Katra to the Healy.  Report.  What is your status?-/\= she said in a rushed manner.

The comms came in with a bit of static but was legible.   A second call came in before Rayek could get to his feet.  This one from the Klingon ship.

IKS Lod Qan - Bridge

"HoD, the bridge module detached just before detonation.  It is... mostly intact."

"Perhaps it contains some intelligence.  Tractor it into our shuttlebay.  We should have some room, now."  A grim reminder of what had happened to their second shuttle.  "Have any available warriors report to the bay as well, in case there are survivors who wish to see Sto-vo-kor."

He maneuvered the ship from the helm console to facilitate the capture.

"Then contact the Healy.  They were close to that blast, and may require assistance."

Rayek winced as he rolled over to his hands and knees.  Pain flared from one wrist..  The Romulan recalled his attempting to use it to block his fall.   There was also a familiar pain along his ribs.. making it difficult to breath.

Ignoring both for the moment, Rayek used his good hand braced on the command chair to push himself up to his feet.

He did a quick look about the Bridge taking stock of the others to see how badly injured they were in comparison.   Oloze and Stewart were fine, the former coordinating with Engineering to assess damage taken to the Healy in that last shake-up, the later turning the ship away from the wreckage.

On the viewscreen,  the Klingons were latching on the fake Healy's Bridge.

But it was Hrafn he was keenest to check on, her and Saqa7.  First appearance wise she seemed okay.   "Lieutenant Falleg.  Are you okay?  Any chance you might want to switch positions again?  I'll play with the weapons and you can report out on how I busted up the ship again?"

As he said this her earlier comment - "Um, Rayek... ever got the feeling that we shouldn't be left in charge of Katra support ships?!" - got dragged to the forefront of his mind.   Yeah, definitely not likely to happen again anytime soon.

He leaned over to toggle a reply first to Katra.

"USS Healy to Katra Station.  Damage reports are still coming in but it appears we are none too worse for wear.   Ensign Oloze will forward on a detailed damage report once available.  Our people on the fake Healy that were beamed out, are they safe?"

He tried not to make it obvious that he was asking after Tess but it was rather obvious.

[Beja]

Katra Station - Deck 22 - Sick Bay

Beja didn�t have any time to ask or dwell on the fact that a lot of the hyposprays were malfunctioning, as Roberto and her had to act quickly and efficiently in order to save their patient Benjin. It was a touch and go for a bit, but with Roberto�s skill and level head, he managed to stabilize Benjin.

�Shh,� Beja smiled down at Bejin and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, �You are in the medical bay. You were hurt in an explosion, but you are going to be fine. Roberto here,� Beja nodded over to the medical Ensign before she continued to Benjin, �You need to just rest now. Don�t try and get up okay?�

New people kept transporting in: Tess, Rhade, etc. The medical team was already prepared for such new patients and immediately began to assess injuries if any, and begin treatment as necessary.

=/\=�Bridge, this is sick bay, we have Commander t�Lhoell, and Lientuant Rhade transported to sick bay. We are assessing their injuries now,� Beja reported to the bridge.

And just when things were looking up for them, an emergency request for transport came in for Lieutenant Saxon. Beja remained calm and didn�t let the sheer worry and anxiety she felt inside show on her face or body language. Mind over matter, that old human saying was rooted in the truth. Presenting a confident and calm facade did allow for that to slowly seep into the inside of a person if they kept it up. Beja knew that panicking wasn�t going to help anyone, let alone their new patient Saxon. The old human male had been through a lot in his old age, and she would do whatever was needed in order for him to see many more years too!