S6 - E3 - Tripwire

[Novi]

[Lieutenangt JG Novi - USS Challenger Main Sickbay]

Novi was in sickbay. Sometimes she wondered if her transfer was a blessing or a curse, ever since this promotion its been more paperwork and scheduling then actual doctoral work. But it was peaceful, her experiences on the Discovery quickly made her appreciate these moments of peace on the Challenger and the very active crewmates she had.

Her day was interrupted hearing the new news from the Captain on where they were headed with the taskforce. She was a little concerned hearing of these new aliens. It seemed like a dangerous mission and if even the KDF had difficulty in their skirmishes she was a little concerned with what a few older Starfleet vessels could do but as they prepared to leave the Starbase, extra supplies in tow CMO Rashar called for a meeting of his Senior Medical Staff.

Novi found herself as one of those Doctors. Her experience on Discovery and Revenant has been a valuable asset to the competent yet constantly overwhelmed Lt. Rashar. She was glad to off-load some of the work from him so he can focus on his more important duties better as she wondered what their jobs would look like during the mission.

The Betazoid clapped his hands together and gave a small smile to the assembled individuals. 4 all together, Lietenants Novi and Davies as 2nd Doctor and Head Nurse the head of surgical operations and the CMO himself "Thank you for joining me. This mission is a new unknown for us. From the information we have if these people are as hostile as the reports say and can survive even the vacuum of space we need to be careful. With the extra medical supplies brought on I want those inventoried and ready by the time we arrive. I'm assigning an extra crewman to rotation for the shifts as well once we arrive." He tapped a few buttons and transferred the new schedules and medical inventory to everyone, "Once we arrive I'll probably be busy on the bridge handling my duties as Chief Medical Officer..."

he gave a small sigh "As always there's no other team I'd trust more then us to get this job done. It'll be just like any other. Doctor Novi, Nurse Davies, I'll trust you to make sure the departments tasks get done."

Both Novi and Chloe nodded their heads in understanding. The rest of the meaning was rather uneventful as everyone divided tasks and assembled their teams to begin the busy work of preparing themselves for battle and inevitability of injuries and death onboard this ship once more.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 12 - Upper Engineering]

With the call to ready the ship for departure in four hours engineering was a bit of a madhouse... or rather Main Engineering was.  Lahr, having been ratted out by medical to his Chief, was relegated to the tertiary flow control once more... some place where he could be hidden away and forgotten about.

The only upside was that his name plate had been found by Zhuk and returned.  Lahr had it tacked up above his console, all shined up.

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret,
aka DJ Lahr,
- Power Overlord, and Bane of the CoE

No sooner had the ship departed than the senior staff got called for a briefing.  From his alcove, Lahr knew exactly when the Vulcan Chief Engineer left.  It was like someone turned up the volume on a laugh track.. suddenly engineering was alive again... there was chatting and socializing; Lahr even overheard a few off-side jokes.

But rather than enjoy the tension-free moment, Lahr kept his gaze fixed on his console as he re-listened to the old progress reports from his hired private investigator.  The man must have missed something.  Ruth couldn't have just vanished.

[Ian Galloway]

[En Route to Klingon Space]

After his briefing to the department heads, Ian had visited each department on the ship. He could see everyone was doing what needed to be done to sustain the ship for an extended period of time. Extra supplies had been stocked and the cargo holds were bulging with all the myriad items the ship might need. Sure items could be replicated, but there was only so much replicator mass and it only made sense to stock up in advance to stretch the mass as long as possible and as a back up should something disable the replicators.

The tour also allowed Ian to take the measure of the department heads. Engineering was in good hands even if Sunik wasn't into trading insults like the former Tellerite Chief Engineer, Ian was confident he could count on Engineering to get the job done. Likewise, Lieutenant Wu seemed to have a solid hand on Ops, who were the jack of trades on the ship. If somebody did it and it involved the ship, it was likely someone from Ops would probably be the one doing it.

Ian had worked with Zhuk long enough to trust him completely and thus he had no doubts that Security would be on top of things. The Caitian was a bit new to the Tactical role, so time would tell how well he handled himself in battle, but based on what he'd seen of the man, Ian figured Zhuk would acquit himself well.

Lieutenant Jaeger was an unknown. She certainly seemed competent, but it had been a long time since they served together on Discovery and she wasn't chief flight then. Before they got to Klingon space, he was going to have to invite her to Kunming so she could learn the unorthodox terms and maneuvers Ian used so frequently in battle.

Ian knew Science wouldn't have a major role in the upcoming mission, but one never knew what the boffins could come up with, so he never dismissed their input. He trusted Jettis and knew that his department would deliver when needed.

Finally, there was his Chief Medical Officer. Lieutenant Rasher had been on Challenger for a long time, but the loss of Jess had dumped the role onto the still fairly young officer and he just seemed overwhelmed. He was a good doctor, but if things got complicated, Ian wondered just how well he would hold up under those conditions.

After completing his rounds of the ship, Ian went to his ready room and began to work on his Klingon. He knew a few words, but not enough to be conversant and he wanted to ensure he could communicate properly with their allies. Fortunately, the Klingon language structure wasn't that far from that of Gaelic and Ian was certain he could get a handle on the language in the time it would take to reach their destination.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"I did get one bit of good news while at Starbase 153. The orders have come through and I get ta do one of my favorite roles as Captain. Lieutenant Commander Kyan MacKenzie, stand up."

Ian then walked over to him and exchanged the open pip for a third closed one.

"You are hereby promoted ta the rank of Commander. Congratulations ya little git."

"Uhh... thanks ya great wanker." Kyan replied before the filter had a chance to kick in. In truth he was glad Ian was doing it this way... if he had to do it that is. The little Onlie wasn't big on ceremonies or getting dressed up... or speeches. He didn't really care about ranks or titles either. And honestly, he figured that he'd  either take a break from Starfleet or lose a pip in some other way sooner or later. That usually happened after he got promoted. It was getting to be a tradition.

"An dinna be trying ta put no more on there though... I'm not after bein a fat admiral til me hair gets grey so." then remembering what had happened last time... "And dinna go gettin killed or hurt or nothin either... Yer chair's jobby so it is an I'm not after having it!"

In fact, Kyan decided that Ian wasn't going on any more away missions. If he got himself shuffled off, he knew Hamish would just put another pip on him and probably put a Vulcan as his first officer too. He shuddered at the image.

"Captain, your actions are in violation of Starfleet code Fifty seven, chapter three, verse five." the Vulcan would say, and then Kyan would have to stun him for mutiny. Then there'd be another court martial, and the Vulcan Admiral would be mad because his Logic buddy had gotten shot.

Or they'd stick him with some uppity Human grup who spent his off time polishing his academy ring and making his every hair on his head was combed and his shoes looked like mirrors all the time. He honestly didn't know which would b worse.

They'd both end up shot. That was a given.

His eyes turned to Kyan as Galloway asked him to stand, before bestowing a pip on him. A smile tugged at his lips, eyes lighting up. Good, he mused. He deserves it. He wasn't sure what had happened to Kyan in the time between Katra and meeting back up on the Challenger, but it was a long overdue promotion. "Congratulations, Commander."

"Thanks Jettis." Kyan grinned. "It's next ye ar so ye are. So ye can replace me when they take it back."

[Ian Galloway]

"Uhh... thanks ya great wanker." Kyan replied before the filter had a chance to kick in. In truth he was glad Ian was doing it this way... if he had to do it that is. The little Onlie wasn't big on ceremonies or getting dressed up... or speeches. He didn't really care about ranks or titles either. And honestly, he figured that he'd  either take a break from Starfleet or lose a pip in some other way sooner or later. That usually happened after he got promoted. It was getting to be a tradition.

"An dinna be trying ta put no more on there though... I'm not after bein a fat admiral til me hair gets grey so." then remembering what had happened last time... "And dinna go gettin killed or hurt or nothin either... Yer chair's jobby so it is an I'm not after having it!"

In fact, Kyan decided that Ian wasn't going on any more away missions. If he got himself shuffled off, he knew Hamish would just put another pip on him and probably put a Vulcan as his first officer too. He shuddered at the image.

"Captain, your actions are in violation of Starfleet code Fifty seven, chapter three, verse five." the Vulcan would say, and then Kyan would have to stun him for mutiny. Then there'd be another court martial, and the Vulcan Admiral would be mad because his Logic buddy had gotten shot.

Or they'd stick him with some uppity Human grup who spent his off time polishing his academy ring and making his every hair on his head was combed and his shoes looked like mirrors all the time. He honestly didn't know which would b worse.

They'd both end up shot. That was a given.

"Thanks Jettis." Kyan grinned. "It's next ye ar so ye are. So ye can replace me when they take it back."

[Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

Ian smirked and Kyan's response as it was entirely in character with the way he lived his life. Ian suppressed a smile and replied.

"Try ta nae lose them again ya pillock, you have a history of that."

Ian clapped Kyan on the back and added.

"Now I believe you have some inspections or summat ta do Commander."

[Alexander Wu]

[Engineering | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

The Betazoid arrived right on time to hear Captain Galloway's speech.  They were going to help the Klingons with Kinshaya, an apparently hostile species. Once the captain finished talking, Aarwendil approached him. "Captain, Lieutenant Jg. Cheizex presenting to duty. Is there any way that I can help on the bridge?"

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

"Congratulations, Commander." Alex offered his own felicitations genuinely, though he was still distracted by his concerns about their mission parameters. While the Captain had eased the biggest worry about taking Maddison into danger, there'd be issues about that as well, primarily, who would take care of her while they were gone. Or worse yet, if they didn't make it back. Looking at Ardyn, he knew they'd have some tough decisions to make before they arrived at K-7.

"Lieutenant Cheizex." Alex motioned his colleague over. "Hi, I'm Lieutenant Wu, your department chief. Alex, if you don't mind the informalities. Sorry we haven't had a chance to sit down properly, it's been a busy few days. I was reading your personnel file over, and I understand that you've had some interest in the sciences, and that you took several electives at the academy? Any possibility one of those courses were on alien anatomy or theoretical biology?"

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Bridge]

Ardy gave one of her usual cocked grins to the Onlie. "Congrats  dude. You earned it." she said, giving him a wry grin. "Better not let it get to your head now," she teased.

There still was that upcoming weight of the battles they'd be in ahead, but for now, celebrating was necessary.

She moved to replace Ensign Jenson at her seat at the helm, catching Alex's glance to her. No words needed to be said, but there would have to be some tough conversations coming up that she couldn't escape.

She already began her plans. With fighter support off the table, that would probably change things in terms of a battle plan, but she could work with that.  She wasn't exactly sure about Galloway's tolerance of bold maneuvers, but given the reports of extreme maneuverability of these enemy ships for their size, she would have to push the ship fast and hard if they wanted any chance to make it out of there in one piece. Something she'd have to discuss with the others in Security, Engineering, and Ops to make sure the ship could handle. Flying a ship was one thing. Flying it her way was something else entirely, and in a life or death scenario, might be necessary to help them survive the night.

" Setting route to Starbase K-7."

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

It had been a long ten days. During the trip, Ian had called for multiple battle drills to hone the crew to peak efficiency. There were still far too many cadets and ensigns just out of the Academy to his liking, but you work with what you had, not with what you wish you had. The young members of the crew were eager to learn and were diligent about their duties. However, none of them had heard a weapon fired in anger before and it was unknown how many would prove to be unable to handle the stress load of combat.

The ship had dropped out of warp and was approaching the venerable space station K-7, now called Deep Space K-7, but this was still the location of where Kirk and Spock, with the help of some tribbles, stopped a sinister plot by the pre-alliance Klingons. They wouldn't be here long, only as long as it took to off load the two hundred and seventy-nine civilians from the ship.

This group consisted of spouses and children of the crew. Ian didn't have children and his significant other was safely on Earth at Starfleet medical. However, Ian did have an understanding of what it meant to be away from family. He'd only been home a handful of times since he'd joined because of the rift between him and his father. He was on good terms with the rest of the family, but no one defied Gavin Galloway to his face without consequences. So his communications with his mother, brother, and sister were kept quiet.

The Challenger took up a synchronous orbit around the station and once in place the transfer of personnel began. Most of the children would transport with at least one parent, but for those few that both parents were part of the crew, the counseling staff of the space station would take responsibility for those children. Challenger was not the first Starfleet vessel to get ordered into a dangerous mission, but with enough time to ensure the safety of the non-combatants and would not be the last, thus Starfleet had a solid procedure in place to handle such situations. The only thing the procedures didn't account for was the difficult of those involved that had to say goodbye to their loved ones before knowingly venturing off into the unknown. It was times like these that Ian was glad he didn't have children.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Starbase Promende]

Ardyn wandered about the shops on the promenade, looking for the bridal shop that was supposedly down here.  Ardy wasn't really for dresses. like, the last time she had worn a formal dress was  when she was pregnant with Maddy, and even then, it was something that was replicated from a holocatalog on short notice.  Formality wasn't something she was used to.

This... This was something different. Ardy only  wanted to do this just once, and she didn't want to simply get married in just her dress uniform.

Traditionally, at least from what she had heard, you'd go with a bunch of female relatives or friends. Ardy didn't really have that, at least not within several light years away.  (And she was pretty sure that her own mother's opinions on dresses might lean toward either the extremely traditional manner for the whole thing, reception and all, that was, nothing at all.)  Anyhow, Maddy was in school and didn't quite know all too much about weddings, and Ardy wanted to surprise the little girl. Maddy was the whole reason things had gotten started after all, all things considered.

Passing by, she noticed Zhuk, looking around at some outfits himself.

"Hey there! Fancy meeting you here.  I just wanted to say thanks for releasing Maddy's dinosaur from evidence collections when you did. You saved us from an extended meltdown from a distressed little girl." she said, cocking her usual wry grin

"So, whatcha looking at?" she asked.

[Lieutenant Commander Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Promenade | Starbase 153]

With the debacle of the thief in the USS Challenger all but concluded, and having personally seen that every single item pilfered had been returned to their rightful owner, Zhuk decided to have some time off. He realized that he had to obtain some of the confidence he had lost from his peers, but that could wait. The stressed-out Zhuk severely needed relaxation. His luxurious fur had become slightly stiff and rougher, and he had been coughing up furballs! That was something he could not allow to continue. And so, he went for an enjoyable walk through the Promenade of Starbase 153.

As he passed through the stores on the Promenade, his attention soon focused upon a store that was selling beautiful dresses. He stopped himself, admiring the beautiful craftsmanship, wondering if perhaps one of them could be utilized for his plays. His ears flicked when he overheard Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie ask for assistance to play a game of 'Parises Squares'. He had no idea what it was, thus, he took a moment to respond. He was uncertain whether he would make a good fit, in all honesty, and did not want to embarrass himself in front of another ship's crew.

Fortunately, a much more pleasant distraction came by, in the shape of none other than Ardyn herself. He offered a sliver of a smile in return, and nodded towards her,

"It was but my pleasure, Lieu- Ardy. I did not wish for thy infant daughter to suffer any more distress after her righteous property had been purloined from her."

He explained, simply, before gazing at the storefront once more, "Ah... well, I must admit thou have found me admiring the exquisite construction of these dresses. I believe that they could make for a wonderful piece of attire in my plays. Why?"

He asked with no small sense of curiosity, raising an eyebrow in Ardy's direction.

[Ensign Tora Zalos|Starbase Promenade]

Breaks, no matter how brief, were always greatly appreciated. Tora had decided to use hers to the best of her ability - that is, sampling the food from several of the food stalls on the promenade, buying snacks to bring with her on the Challenger's next mission, get some new clothes, that sort of thing. The Cardassian had what appeared to be an ice cream cone in hand, off-white in color and covered in crushed peanuts, along with three more bags of shopping. Might as well use the opportunity to the fullest, right?

It brought a smile to her face to see her colleagues - Zhuk and the helmswoman whose name she didn't quite know yet - just up ahead, though. She was glad to see the former finally take a break; the whole ordeal with people's stuff getting stolen must have taken a toll on him indeed. At least now her precious hot chocolate cup had been returned and so had the personal belongings of everyone else, and the culprit was in custody, which meant that, for now at least, all was well. "Zhuk! And uh... ma'am." Tora called out as she approached the two. Her eyes widened as she saw what the Caitian was doing; was he picking out an outfit for himself? Granted, she'd rarely ever seen him wear something fancy. "What are you both doing-"

Then their commbadges chirped, and the captain's heavily accented voice piped through. Tora exchanged a look with the two senior officers and nodded solemnly. "Looks like I won't be able to get that tub of honey earl grey ice cream after all." She quipped, before nodding at the airlock nearby. "We should definitely go..."

[Briefing Room - Starbase 153]

Ian hated to have to do what he had to do next, but there was no choice, if they were to meet the four hour deadline, they would need the entire crew.

"All hands. This is the Captain speakin', this is a shipwide recall. All hands report back ta the ship, this is no drill. Department heads, report when all your personnel are accounted for. Again, this is no drill."

Ian sighed and as he thought.

"Twelve old ships will nae stop the Kinshaya if'n the Klingon stories are true, it looks like were ta be a bloody tripwire ta trigger a greater response by Starfleet. Maker protect us all."

Zhuk's ears flicked in the general direction of Ensign Zalos as she came by, and greeted them both. He offered a nod towards her, but before she was even finished with her question, the Captain communicated the swift return of all crew to the vessel. Zhuk was annoyed, to say the least, his tail swishing around in irritation. Still, his tone was nothing less than polite when he tapped on his combadge,

"Understood Captain, we shalt return post-haste to the Challenger." 

[Promenade]

Ardy nodded to Zhuk and the scientist woman who came up. "No need to be so formal. "Lieutenant Jaeger, but most folks call me Ardyn or Ardy.  Was just about to go wedding dress shopping. Or at least try to see what's out there so I can replicate something nice. Like I have any idea of what I want." she smirked wryly. "I don't usually wear dresses, like, ever. "

Suddenly, the call came onto their comms. Ardy sighed. Moving out already? "I guess that might have to wait. The boss wants us back on board."

{Bridge]

Ardy got back onto the bridge as the briefing began, so she hung back as the situation was explained about this situation they were pulled in. "Do you think we'll need to bring out fighter support, given the maneuverability of their ships?" she asked, already planning battle tactics for both the Challenger and the pilot squads. The Challie might be an older ship, but she still had the maneuverability if she needed to really go into battle mode."

She grimaced a little  internally. Expendable. Ardy used to think that of herself, before she had people in her life she didn't want to lose. All the more reason to not lose this fight.

"Given the fact that this is a species of people practically unknown to the Federation, would it be better to see  if we can try to observe them first, so we know what we might be up against?

He returned to face Tora, about to explain what they were doing, though Ardy was quicker with her words. He nodded,

"Precisely Tora. It would seem as if our inspection will need to wait."

Huh. Wedding dresses? Was Ardy planning on marrying? That was quite exciting for him. He wondered if the next time Zhuk would be able to help Ardy in finding a proper attire for her great day. He had never been in a wedding before, but after the party that had been thrown out back at the last Starbase, he had grown quite fond of being an organizer.

"That said, Ardy. If thou require any more assistance to obtain a wedding dress to thou liking, I will be more than happy to assist thee."

He offered, before he began to walk back to the Challenger, wondering what the next mission would be about...

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian watched the mass of Starbase 153 shrink as the Challenger departed for Klingon space. The ship had made the four hour deadline with all crew reporting in well ahead of the deadline. Once a safe distance from the starbase, the ship went to warp and smoothly accelerated to her maximum of warp 8.2. When the ship was steady on course, Ian called for a department heads briefing. As he was the only one with all the information of their mission, he would brief the others. Once the last person was in place, he stood and moved to the large display on the wall that currently showed the Klingon coreward border.

"Lads and Lasses. Seems the Klingons have gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have had several ships, civilian and KDF go missin' along their coreward border. This area is virtually unknown ta Starfleet as even now, the Klingons are very tight-lipped about the region. It took decades ta learn most of this information and what we have is bloody thin. It seems some 140 years ago, durin' the time before the Khitomer Accords and the Klingons were lookin' ta expand, after bein' checked in their rimward advance by the Federation, the turned coreward. There they encountered a species out of their darkest nightmares. The Klingons named them the Kinshaya, which means 'demon possessed'."

At this point, Ian changed the image on the viewer from Klingon space to the image of a large humanoid.

"This ladies and gentlebeings is a Kinshaya. They average two meters tall or larger. They clock in at a massive 200 kilos. Accordin' ta the Klingons, they fight with a fury that is beyond words ta describe. They have these large, essentially vestigial wings, they cannae fly, they've become too heavy for that, but when spread span three meters. They have two ocular like organs for eyes, large and pupiless. Their nose is a wee thing and their mouth is little more than a flap, but has three rows of teeth. And if that isna nightmare enough, they have a sort of visual organ in the back of their head. It seems ta be primitive and only senses movement."

Changing the viewer again, the image was of a ship, but of a design no one had seen before.

"This is a Kinshaya globe ship. For some unknown reason, all of their ships are spheres with external warp nacelles mounted port and starboard. Despite their odd appearance, the Klingon report them ta be very maneuverable and pack a staggerin' punch. The first time the Klingons fought them, they only just managed ta stop them. Because that time was when we were enemies, they kept the entire encounter and war a secret. It took the work of many years for Starfleet Intelligence ta piece together that the Kinshaya even existed.

"Now that we are allies, the Klingons have shared what little they ken, but it's nae much. As mentioned, the Kinshaya fight with unmitigated fury, so, not unlike the Earth-Romulan war, no prisoners were ever taken and ships were usually lost with all hands. The image of the Kinshaya was a body found in the wreckage of one of their ships post battle. Even though it had been floatin' in hard vacuum for several hours, when it warmed up, it turned out ta nae be dead and it killed nine Klingons before they could kill it. I hope that gives you an idea of what we potentially face should the raidin' escalate beyond that."

Ian sat down at this point.

"We are part of a twelve ship taskforce. All older ships, I won't say Starfleet considers expendable, but that's the situation. There will be three Steamrunners, two Cheyennes, two New Orleans, three Norways, one Akira, and us. Starfleet's reasonin' for sendin' us, is after Frontier Day, it makes more sense ta keep the newer, faster ships closer ta the core planets as they can deploy more efficiently than keepin' them on the border on patrol. Regardless of the why we were selected, we have a job ta do. Our Klingon allies have asked for our help and per the Khitomer Accords, we are bound ta assist. What are your questions?"

[Lieutenant Commander Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Deck One | Bridge | Briefing Room | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | Leaving Starbase 153]

Zhukdra'shar took his new spot in the briefing room as the Chief of Security and listened quietly to the explanation offered by Captain Galloway. Overall, he found the whole ordeal to be a rather curious one. The Klingons were requesting their assistance in an area previously unknown to the Federation, which told Zhuk that they were in serious trouble. Mrekrerhas showed little reaction at seeing the monstrous Kinsaya, though internally he was in awe at the sheer power and build that the species had. He became a little more worried as it was mentioned that they had been able to remain alive in the vacuum of space and that the subject shown had killed nine Klingons before going down. Their vessels, while unusual, were quite formidable, something that was further reaffirmed as several Federation ships, of differing classes, were accompanying them. All older vessels, like the USS Challenger herself.

He had no questions, as his duty was clear: keep alert, maintain caution, and strike deeply, as well as intelligently against the Kinshaya. Tests to make certain that the weaponry and shields were operating to full capacity were going to be required, too. He did make sure to pay attention to others' opinions and queries, as their insight could certainly be beneficial. Lieutenant Wu's words especially struck him as interesting, as indeed, they were looking at a First Contact scenario. Still, as Kyan, he did not expect much diplomacy to be conducted in this mission. He too agreed with Ardy, as knowing what they were up against could certainly benefit them to fight the menace off.

[Bridge]
[Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

Ian listened to the very pertinent questions and wished he had more information, he sighed and continued with what little answers he had.

"As for families Lieutenant Wu, since this mission has the potential ta drop into the pot more than others, our course includes a detour ta Deep Space K-7 at the halfway point of our journey. That will give you ten full days ta pack and prepare loved ones ta leave the ship."

Turning to face Ardy, Ian continued.

"I believe the intelligence means for ships their size they are maneuverable, besides, with the high casualty rates among fighters, we are again limited by that bloody Frontier Day mess. Starfleet is now very casualty adverse and simply won't condone the use of fighters.

"Our mission and ROE are ta support and observe. You are correct Alex, this is technically a First Contact, but the Kinshaya do not talk, they attack and attack savagely. Whether they are xenophobes, descended from predators, or just nae like how other species breathe is unknown.

"I don't know how well you ken 20th Century history Lieutenant, but our presence will be like the troops from the nation state of the United States that were stationed in the nation state of South Korea which was in an armed stand off with the nation state of North Korea. The American forces were nae strong enough ta stop the North Koreans. Their mission was as a reminder ta the North 'cross the border and you will hit our forces, which will bring in the full might of the United States military.' They were a 'tripwire', that essentially meant 'cross this point and something goes off you can't handle'. I got the distinct impression when I got my briefin', we are a tripwire force. If the Kinshaya attack the Klingons in force this time, we ensure the Federation will respond."

Finally, Ian addressed Kyan.

"I hate ta accept that talkin' isn't an option, but this is one time it seems unlikely. When I said we have little information on the Kinshaya, what I told you is all the Klingons have. Since the Kinshaya actually scare them, it is a matter of honor ta nae talk about them. They only reluctantly shared what I gave you and all Starfleet Intelligence has is rumors.

"Coming back ta your question Alex of who is in command, Captain Trindra Soro of the USS Galahad, the Akira in the task force is senior captain and will hold the title of Commodore for this mission. I am next senior and will be her deputy."

Ian stood, but before he dismissed everyone, he added.

"I did get one bit of good news while at Starbase 153. The orders have come through and I get ta do one of my favorite roles as Captain. Lieutenant Commander Kyan MacKenzie, stand up."

Ian then walked over to him and exchanged the open pip for a third closed one.

"You are hereby promoted ta the rank of Commander. Congratulations ya little git."

The Caitian sighed in relief at hearing that the Challenger would take a detour to a Deep Space station to momentarily unload her civilian population, as to keep them safe from combat. It would at least assuage some concerns amongst Security, as people like Crewman Zala would certainly be less stressed to know that her kin would not be in harms way. He hummed as Captain Galloway further explained that they were not expecting to engage the Kinshaya directly, but instead, serve as support in case the Kinsaya attacked the Klingon. Now he understood the assignment much better, though only changed his plan on how to prepare slightly.

Though it came quite unexpectedly, Zhuk clapped daintily and elegantly when the announcement of Kyan's new status as a Commander came by. Quite deserved, he believed, and a good note to end the reunion in. After they were dismissed, he proceeded to tap on his combadge,

"To all Security officers. Be advised that we shalt advance towards Deep Space K-7, where I advise thee to leave your families. Thou have ten days to recover any and all personal belongings. The reason shalt be explained in more detail shortly, but it has to do with our current task. I want analyses on the weapon systems, and afterwards, we shalt practice within a few simulations. The reason is that..."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

It had been a long ten days. During the trip, Ian had called for multiple battle drills to hone the crew to peak efficiency. There were still far too many cadets and ensigns just out of the Academy to his liking, but you work with what you had, not with what you wish you had. The young members of the crew were eager to learn and were diligent about their duties. However, none of them had heard a weapon fired in anger before and it was unknown how many would prove to be unable to handle the stress load of combat.

The ship had dropped out of warp and was approaching the venerable space station K-7, now called Deep Space K-7, but this was still the location of where Kirk and Spock, with the help of some tribbles, stopped a sinister plot by the pre-alliance Klingons. They wouldn't be here long, only as long as it took to off load the two hundred and seventy-nine civilians from the ship.

This group consisted of spouses and children of the crew. Ian didn't have children and his significant other was safely on Earth at Starfleet medical. However, Ian did have an understanding of what it meant to be away from family. He'd only been home a handful of times since he'd joined because of the rift between him and his father. He was on good terms with the rest of the family, but no one defied Gavin Galloway to his face without consequences. So his communications with his mother, brother, and sister were kept quiet.

The Challenger took up a synchronous orbit around the station and once in place the transfer of personnel began. Most of the children would transport with at least one parent, but for those few that both parents were part of the crew, the counseling staff of the space station would take responsibility for those children. Challenger was not the first Starfleet vessel to get ordered into a dangerous mission, but with enough time to ensure the safety of the non-combatants and would not be the last, thus Starfleet had a solid procedure in place to handle such situations. The only thing the procedures didn't account for was the difficult of those involved that had to say goodbye to their loved ones before knowingly venturing off into the unknown. It was times like these that Ian was glad he didn't have children.

[Lieutenant Commander Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Deck Four | Transporter Room Three | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | In orbit around Deep Space K-7]

At the arrival of the USS Challenger at the station, Zhukdra'shar had decided to oversee the process. It allowed other Security officers to take a moment to eat or rest in between the hard simulations that he had been subjecting them to, to keep them in tip-top shape for their possible encounter with the hostile alien race. He had made sure to request any available data of the Kinshaya to test his officers and himself on how to better engage one in ground combat. The results had been... less than ideal thus far. Although everything was simulated, on most occasions the holographic Kinshaya had managed to overpower and 'kill' his officers, wiping entire teams effortlessly.

Zhukdra'shar had found more success with ambushes that kept the Kinshaya from detecting the officers, and the usage of phaser rifles at long ranges, when at maximum capacity. He had not developed a stratagem yet, but he felt he was close to it. He also made sure to run tests of space combat against the Kinshaya's globe ships, but that had also proved tricky. At the very least, it had aided in getting himself more comfortable when it came to space combat.

His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Zala come by with her little brother, Mo. He offered a nod as she walked her brother upon the platform, which prepared to teleport Mo to K-7. Due to not having any more family to leave Mo with, he would stay with the counseling staff of the space station. It was a hard goodbye for the both of them, as they exchanged a hug and some words, but Zhuk had faith that they would reunite eventually. He still had time to perfect his tactics, just in case the worst came to worst.

And now he had even more motivation to bring his team back home safely.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Airlock]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

It had been a long ten days. During the trip, Ian had called for multiple battle drills to hone the crew to peak efficiency. There were still far too many cadets and ensigns just out of the Academy to his liking, but you work with what you had, not with what you wish you had. The young members of the crew were eager to learn and were diligent about their duties. However, none of them had heard a weapon fired in anger before and it was unknown how many would prove to be unable to handle the stress load of combat.

Ten days of travel to their half way point, and in that time Lahr had discovered his ultimate theme song.
.
.

The Andorian played it constantly as his motivation - on his ear buds, in his room (much to the amusement, and then annoyance after the 50th time,  of his roommate Chief Blackfeather) and once over the Engineering deck intercom during a battle drill.  The Vulcan wasn't impressed with the last one.  Especially not when Lahr pointed out in his defense  - of the improved morale and timing.

Lahr was given a written reprimand in warning to not interfere with the ship's intercom system outside of a maintenance order.

As the ship orbited K-7, dropping off their civilian personnel, Lahr gave Tony (the owner/operator of Luigi's Pizzeria and Arcade) and Antonia (Tony's daughter) a hand with their bags.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of the place and make sure that any damage that does happen is repaired by the time we return."  His words of reassurance prompted a crushing hug from the large Italian owner and an chaste kiss on his cheek from Antonia, who worked as a waitress for her father's business.

Lahr smiled and waved goodbye as his friends transported away.

[Alexander Wu]

[USS Challenger - Transporter Room 3]

Ten days had barely been enough time for Maddison to process having to be without her mom and dad for the next month, despite Alex and Ardyn having tried to sell the whole ordeal as an adventure with Mrs.Van Heusen. The daycare staff had been amazing, setting up what amounted to a youth camp for all the children who wouldn't have a parent staying behind. They'd already had several conversations with K-7's counselors who would be helping out as well, and who were doing their utmost best in relieving all the stress and concerns surrounding their situation. Nevertheless, it had not been a happy week, and Maddy had refused to sleep anywhere else besides with them in their bed.

Alex had seen this scene played out dozens of times on his previous deployments, and he had always imagined it to be horrible for the families involved. Now that they were one of those families, it was a thousand times worse. "Here we are." Alex slowly lowered down the girl clinging onto his neck as they entered the transporter room, smiling to try and reassure her despite his own trepidation. "Look, there goes your friend on the transporter pad. Bye Mo!" Maddy turned to give the ferengi boy a listless wave, watching him dematerialize in the sparkly blue shimmer. "Hey, you'll get to spend a whole month with your friend at camp, that'll be fun!"

"But...I want you to come with me." Maddy heartbreakingly whimpered, her lower lip quivering as she reached up towards Ardy. "I'm scared, mommy."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[USS Challenger - Transporter Room 3]

Ten days had barely been enough time for Maddison to process having to be without her mom and dad for the next month, despite Alex and Ardyn having tried to sell the whole ordeal as an adventure with Mrs.Van Heusen. The daycare staff had been amazing, setting up what amounted to a youth camp for all the children who wouldn't have a parent staying behind. They'd already had several conversations with K-7's counselors who would be helping out as well, and who were doing their utmost best in relieving all the stress and concerns surrounding their situation. Nevertheless, it had not been a happy week, and Maddy had refused to sleep anywhere else besides with them in their bed.

Alex had seen this scene played out dozens of times on his previous deployments, and he had always imagined it to be horrible for the families involved. Now that they were one of those families, it was a thousand times worse. "Here we are." Alex slowly lowered down the girl clinging onto his neck as they entered the transporter room, smiling to try and reassure her despite his own trepidation. "Look, there goes your friend on the transporter pad. Bye Mo!" Maddy turned to give the ferengi boy a listless wave, watching him dematerialize in the sparkly blue shimmer. "Hey, you'll get to spend a whole month with your friend at camp, that'll be fun!"

"But...I want you to come with me." Maddy heartbreakingly whimpered, her lower lip quivering as she reached up towards Ardy. "I'm scared, mommy."

[Transporter room 3]

The deadline was coming up soon, and to Ardyn, it felt like more of a guillotine hanging above her head. How do you really explain to a six-year-old  that they would have to leave her behind and go into battle,  maybe never to return? It had been one of the risks they had taken, when they went back into Starfleet, for sure, but it hadn't really set in until now.

Maddy was taking it as well as she could, all things considered, They'd done their best to try to explain the gravity of the situation in a way that could be understood by her,  but even the most sound of logic couldn't fully stop the emotional tidal wave that Maddy was feeling. Ardy didn't blame her.

"It's okay to be scared." she looked for confirmation to Alex. " We both want to be with you.  You're one of the bravest kids I know, and I know you'll have the most fun ever while you're here. "

"NO! I don't wanna go!" Maddy clung onto Ardyn tightly.

She rubbed the little girl's head and silky black hair just like she did when Maddy was really little.

" We will be back as soon as possible and will call you every night we can. Promise." said Ardy, kneeling down to eye level.

"Okay... You really promise?" said Maddy reluctantly,

"Yup. Promise." she said, fixing the little "commbadge" they'd given her to keep an eye on her whereabouts after the last escapade she had had.  She'd warned the instructors this time of Maddy's habit of going off when not supervised. "Make sure you listen to the teachers there, don't go running off where they can't find you. 'kay?"

"Okay."

Maddy gave Ardyn another long, clinging hug, then let her go to hug Alex. It was hard to let her go.

One look from the Ops crew manning the console let her know that it was time.

"We love you lots. It's time to go. You have lots of fun now and tell us all about it when we call you tonight."

"Okay..."

The guy at the Transporter console nodded, and with that twinkle of the Transporter beam, she was off and away.

Full of emotion, she nodded to Alex. That was that. It felt weirdly hollow for her, like something was missing.  They were both on shift coming up. "I don't know about you, babe, but what do you say about beating the Kinshaya back to the hole where they came from?"

[Kyan Mackenzie]

[Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Sickbay, USS Challlenger]

Kyan barged into sickbay. Well, as much as someone could barge anywhere on a starship. It really didn't have the same effect when you couldn't throw open the door and have it slam against the wall behind it, heralding your entry. That part was pretty much the key to barging. But the diminutive First Officer did his best.

Honestly, Kyan figured he might talk to one of the engineers and see if they couldn't rig up something that gave the appropriate sound effect so that if someone wanted actually to barge in someplace, then the computer would simulate the slamming noise. Then everyone would the full effect. As it was, the Onlie had to rely on his voice to do most of the work.

"Ok ye pack of blue-shirted vampires!" he greeted the assembled doctors, nurses, and enlisted Medical technicians. "I got stuff ta be doing the now an cannae be coming down here fer check ups and the like!"

He actually needed to check all the departments to ensure that everyone was ready for their upcoming confrontation with the Kinshaya, but they didn't need to know that....and he had gotten a message from Rashar saying that he was due for a physical or some such. Come to think of it, that might have been an old message he forgot to delete. Either way, he was here now.

"Well, anyways... let's get this show going... the Kinshaya ain't gonna blast themselves inta space dust!"

[Alexander Wu]

[Transporter room 3]

The deadline was coming up soon, and to Ardyn, it felt like more of a guillotine hanging above her head. How do you really explain to a six-year-old  that they would have to leave her behind and go into battle,  maybe never to return? It had been one of the risks they had taken, when they went back into Starfleet, for sure, but it hadn't really set in until now.

Maddy was taking it as well as she could, all things considered, They'd done their best to try to explain the gravity of the situation in a way that could be understood by her,  but even the most sound of logic couldn't fully stop the emotional tidal wave that Maddy was feeling. Ardy didn't blame her.

"It's okay to be scared." she looked for confirmation to Alex. " We both want to be with you.  You're one of the bravest kids I know, and I know you'll have the most fun ever while you're here. "

"NO! I don't wanna go!" Maddy clung onto Ardyn tightly.

She rubbed the little girl's head and silky black hair just like she did when Maddy was really little.

" We will be back as soon as possible and will call you every night we can. Promise." said Ardy, kneeling down to eye level.

"Okay... You really promise?" said Maddy reluctantly,

"Yup. Promise." she said, fixing the little "commbadge" they'd given her to keep an eye on her whereabouts after the last escapade she had had.  She'd warned the instructors this time of Maddy's habit of going off when not supervised. "Make sure you listen to the teachers there, don't go running off where they can't find you. 'kay?"

"Okay."

Maddy gave Ardyn another long, clinging hug, then let her go to hug Alex. It was hard to let her go.

One look from the Ops crew manning the console let her know that it was time.

"We love you lots. It's time to go. You have lots of fun now and tell us all about it when we call you tonight."

"Okay..."

The guy at the Transporter console nodded, and with that twinkle of the Transporter beam, she was off and away.

Full of emotion, she nodded to Alex. That was that. It felt weirdly hollow for her, like something was missing.  They were both on shift coming up. "I don't know about you, babe, but what do you say about beating the Kinshaya back to the hole where they came from?"

[USS Challenger - Transporter Room 3]

Squeezing her tightly, Alex wasn't sure who was more reluctant to let go, him or Maddy. "Everything's going to be fine, beansprout." He held her face gently, kissing her on the top of her head while wiping her teary cheeks dry with his thumbs. "Like mommy promised, we'll talk to you tonight. And don't forget this little guy." Alex pulled out Maddy's dinosaur plushy from her packed bag, holding it out for the little girl to take. "You'll have to take care of him too, okay?"

Maddy sniffled solemnly, putting on a brave face, though the dinosaur remained firmly clutched in a chokehold. "I will, daddy. Remember, you promised!"

"Yes we did. And we always keep our promises, right?" Alex gave her one last kiss, picking up her bag in one hand and guiding her onto the transporter pad with the other. "See you soon, sweetheart. We love you." He stepped back next to Ardyn, reaching out instinctively and wrapping an arm around her as their daughter was spirited away. Starring at the empty platform, Alex only realized how tight his jaw was clenched when it began to cramp. "It's going to be awfully quiet in our quarters." He mentioned, wrapping Ardy up in a big hug. "Let's hope the Kinshaya don't have the same resolve that we do."

Alex wasn't sure how he missed the big Caitian commander standing off to the side, but to be fair, they'd been a bit preoccupied earlier. And now he provided the perfect distraction from how Alex was feeling. "Good morning Zhuk. Has Jettis managed to come up with anything useful for your combat simulations?" Two weeks ago after their first briefing, Alex had asked Lieutenant Cheizex to work with the science department and go over every fine detail the Klingons had provided them regarding the Kinshaya, looking for anything from biological weaknesses to technological vulnerabilities. He was hoping they'd found something to give them an edge. He reckoned they'd need it when facing an enemy armed with everything from energy weapons to claws. "And have you given any thought to my request with having Ops personnel supplement and train with your security teams?"

[Tora Zalos]

[Ensign Tora Zalos|Science Labs|USS Challenger]

Tora didn't relish the idea of going back into space just to risk her life in battle at all. That wasn't really what she'd signed up for. Granted she'd entered Starfleet accepting that that might be a hazard of the job, but still, would it really be far too much to ask for an assignment that didn't risk the lives of herself and her entire crew? Like, there had to be some sort of cosmic fairness like that somewhere, right?

Regardless, there wasn't much time or opportunity for debate. When she and her fellow scientists were briefed on their assignment for this mission, she'd sworn to herself to figure out a peaceful way to deal with their potential opponents - even as she forced herself to bite the bullet and follow their actual orders. To both ends, she'd been trawling Federation databases for an answer for the past two hours to find... well, not much. Evidently the Kinshaya weren't keen on sharing much about themselves, especially with those kind-of-sort-of allied with the people they dubbed as demons.

"Seems like the Kinshaya care a lot about their religion." Tora turned around with her PADD in hand to address the duty officer, one  Evan Randell, in the laboratory. "Their entire military is a sort of theocracy. Their ranks even go by things which the universal translator makes out to be Vicar, Deacon and even Archbishop." Then she sighed and rubbed at her eyes. Staring at one's screen for hours does that to someone, of course. "Maybe a good way to deal with them would be to tackle them at their beliefs. Finding out what they worship might be useful, but there's nothing to go on, at least in our database."