Into The Lions Den (Part 1)
Posted on Wed Apr 3rd, 2024 @ 10:50pm by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Lieutenant JG Kurumi Hatanaka & Commander Thomas Johnson & Commander Chisato Nishikigi & Major Chiyo Shimada & Lieutenant Commander Moklor ‘Shell Squid’ & Lieutenant Jasad Yuvek & Lieutenant Kylynn Adams & Lieutenant Talia Johnson & Lieutenant Dr. Eli Ellis M.D. & Lieutenant JG Nezuko & Lieutenant JG Amari & Lieutenant Tatsuo Shimada & Lieutenant Mizuki Nakahara & Lieutenant JG Dana Monroe
Edited on on Wed Apr 3rd, 2024 @ 10:55pm
1,459 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission: Starship Graveyard
[15:00 USS Tokyo]
Taiga checked the chronometer above the viewscreen at the fore of the bridge. "Ok people. Let's do this," she said. "Red alert."
The bridge darkened as the red lighting began to flash slowly. The consoles all changed to the red alert colour palette and the klaxon silenced after a few seconds. Taiga took her position in her command chair, she tapped the buttons on its arm. A schematic of the Borg cube came up on the viewscreen.
"Jased, maintain a transporter lock on them at all times," Taiga said.
Lt. Yuvek could see that the ship was able to maintain a strong lock on each individual at the moment. However, he had no idea how strong the lock would remain once the team had made it inside of the Borg cube or any other form of interference.
"Aye, ma'am" He responded.
"Bridge to away team. Are you ready to head into the Lions Den?" Taiga asked.
[Transporter Room]
Dana stood quietly alongside the away team members, she had volunteered to lead them when, or if, they needed it, not that she was looking forward to going back to the cube.
Nezuko looked to the away team leader and gave a thumbs-up. Her dampener was ready and calibrated. She was well equipped. It was time to go.
Thomas walked into they needed. Looking at Nezuko, giving a nod. Before looking over to the former borg. "Lt Monroe." Signing to Nezuko, he inquired about her and the Lts status.
The next ones to arrive in the transporter room were all wearing an older style of Starfleet Uniform, for they were from the Redemption's "Wolf Pack." Led by the Nova class starship's acting captain. Tatsuo was discussing something with the Wolf Pack's leader, Kisad Vuyi, about something, but their conversation trailed off when they entered the transporter room and saw Nezuko; knowing the officer in the newer style of Starfleet uniform didn't need anything more to use against him.
Tatsuo and Kisad both gave a nod in Dana's direction.
"Lieutenant." Tatsuo said.
Dana offered a polite nod in return, she was feeling slightly more at ease now amongst the away team members, but it didn’t make her fear of returning to the cube any easier.
Last but certainly not least to arrive was a quartet of Intelligence Officers led by Commander Nishikigi; comprising of Lieutenants Inoue, Nakahara, and Hatanaka, they were arguably too small a unit to provide much in the way of tactical support- that responsibility would fall almost solely on the Wolf Pack- so they would instead be tasked with the secondary role of gathering intel on the Borg.
"Kisad; Nezuko; Sly," Chisato greeted, before shifting her attention over to the one officer of this group who was oddly out of place.
"You're coming with, Monroe?" she observed. "Are you sure you're going to be up for this?"
Dana looked to Chisato. “I have to be, I know that cube better than anyone here. I can guide you.”
"Wasn't she the one making a point about not going?" Takina commented skeptically.
"Everybody's got to face their demons sometime, Takina-Chan," Chisato pointed out, before shifting her attention back to Dana. "Well, whatever happens out there, Lieutenant, we want you to know that we've got your back. And if at any point it gets to be too much, let us know so we can ready an emergency beam-out, alright?"
Dana nodded. “Yes, Sir” Deep down she was dreading going back, but she owed those who’d taken her in this much at least.
The transporter operator raised an eyebrow at the amount of people he was beaming over to the borg cube. He tapped on the console in front of him. They had seperated the volunteers into two teams, Alpha Team would be the one tasked with removing and retrieving the Borg power nodes, whilst Beta Team would be tasked with gathering information and intelligence. Captain Aisaka had asked Commander Nishikigi to try and get hold of any information the Borg may have gathered on this planet. After all, the Borg had been here longer and had survived this long, so it seemed logical to 'know what they know' as she had put it.
"Alpha Team," He said. "Please take a step up onto the transporter. I'm going to be beaming you into an area of the cube where there are less life signs than usual. That would be best for you to extract the nodes with minimal resistance" he said.
Thomas turned to Nezuko, and nodded, as they walked up onto the pad. Checking his padd and his rifle, briefly, he steadied. Whatever they may feel about their new friends, starfleet or not. Trust was something that was needed, and signalling that to the Lt. He gave a reassuring smile. "Ready Lt." He replied as he noticed that they were all standing on the Pad.
Nezuko gave him a handsign back to acknowledge him and joined him on the Transporter pad.
Dana stepped up next to Nezuko, now more than ever she’d need to put her own feelings aside. It seemed odd considering she’d had to learn to express her feelings after her liberation, now she was purposely burying those feelings again.
Tatsuo, Kisad, and another security officer from the Redemption were the last ones to step onto the transporter pad. They were the only ones wielding the older style phaser rifles from their own ship, as they didn't feel as comfortable wielding the Tokyo's newer phasers.
Once Alpha Team were gone, the transporter operator indicated for the Beta Team to take their place on the transporter pad. "Ok Beta Team. I'm transporting you to an area close to the central plexus of the cube. You should be able to download and access the Borg databanks from there." he said to them. "But be careful, that area is still fairly active with drones."
"Roger that," Chisato nodded as her team stepped up onto the transporter pad. "Phasers primed!"
The sound of several sharp clicks filled the air as the members of Beta team primed their phasers to kill (the sole exception being Chisato herself, who opted instead for highest non-lethal setting).
"I'm totally not looking forward to this..." Kurumi muttered to herself as she checked her phaser.
Chisato shifted her attention back to the transporter operator.
"Energize," she ordered.
[Borg Cube]
Thomas raised his rifle, as they materialized fully, looking around. "Johnson to Aisaka, we are inside the borg cube, there is no welcome wagon. So I believe, we are either not perceived as a threat as of yet. Or they haven't detected a beam in." He checked the arm bands, that would keep them invisible. "Armbands seem to be working."
"Understood Commander. We're keeping a close eye on you from here," Taiga's voice replied through his comm badge.
Dana looked around, she felt oddly at home considering she had been dreading stepping back inside. “The nodes are this way...” She motioned the direction she wanted the team to go. “Just be warned the minute a power node is removed, connected devices in the area will lose power for 4.8 minutes before another node will cut in to restore power. It definitely won’t go unnoticed! I suggest we try and remove multiple nodes in the same area, at the same time.”
Nezuko nodded. It was a good suggestion. They might need to split up to achieve it, but being a little bit spread out while everything happened all at once was better than potentially needing to fight from one node to another.
Still, the environment felt off. Nezuko had never been inside a Borg ship. It smelled of ozone and mechanical lubricants and rot. Most unpleasant.
Tatsuo turned to his people from the Redemption.
"Remember;" He instructed them. "We'll likely only get a few shots off before they adapt to our weapons. The newer guys might have better luck, but it'll be marginal at best. So, save your shots, people."
Dana looked around the members of Alpha team. “They won’t deem any of us a threat until we start removing what we need, then we’ll become a threat.”
Nezuko would have preferred to stay absolutely quiet, but used her PADD to say something to the group. "Reports suggest that Borg have always struggled to adapt to melee attacks."
"Well then I certainly hope everyone has brushed up on their hand to hand. Also keep an eye out for anything that can be used as a weapon should the need arise. The rifles are good for one or two hits before they break."
To be continued...
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