Battle of Hell's Mouth

Posted on 01 Jul 2016 @ 6:32am by Lieutenant Parisa Rykov DCS & Ensign Kelly Khan & Ensign Quinn Mackie & Ensign Elisha Cherno & Chief Petty Officer Hatto Wayerhauser

3,264 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Deck 3 | Holodeck 1
Timeline: MD 0

Rykov: Taken care of on all fronts. I'll set this for a later date, probably after we wrap up Outbreak. Also, I took out the ensign and swapped him for a security npc that nobody has claim to. I can handle writing them if nobody is itching to.

Holodeck Training Simulation
USS Repulse NCC-75000 Phalanx class starship
Battle of Hell's Mouth / Circa 2378

'You could be an instructor or a teacher,' words that Doctor Parisa Rykov never thought she would have heard thrown so boldly in her direction. The first few seconds, Rykov was not sure if it was meant as an insult or a compliment. Standing in the holodeck as she activated the training program that she had recently set up, she knew that this of course was not the sort of training mentioned. SAR matters could wait for another day. The Chief Engineer had other plans that she wanted to deal with first. Firstly, she wanted to see how she would deal with students and what better way than to throw her into a training simulation with academy brats and a somewhat experienced enlisted man with aspirations of transitioning to an officer.

Rykov instructed the computer to construct the simulation's setting, the USS Repulse NCC-75000. The holodeck soon changed from its standard room of black and gold grid lines to that of the Bridge of the Repulse, her Repulse. Back then, Rykov wore the rank of junior grade lieutenant and dressed in her medical blues. Aboard the Black Hawk, she was a full Lieutenant, the Chief Engineer with an advanced degree in Computer Sciences.

Today, however, in this simulation at least, her darkened gold uniform was traded in for that of command red as she stood on the simulated Bridge of the 75000 Repulse. The Captain's chair was her chair today and the officers of her Bridge would be the young and the restless...cadets. She nervously awaited their arrival.

When Chief Petty Officer Wayerhauser had received notification several days ago that his next training day would be changed, he thought nothing of it. It wasn't uncommon for an officer to reschedule. However, upon further reading, her saw that the instructor for that day was Rykov. This alone sent chills up and down his spine. Why her. Why does it have to be her? I didn't even know she trained people he had thought as his heart pounded.

The Chief would be training with some cadets today. He had no issues with that, but when he walked through the holodeck archway, through the opening door and found himself on the Bridge of a starship he was slightly taken aback. He saw the Chief Engineer standing there, looking at him. She was dressed peculiarly in a command uniform. "Ma'am?" he uttered questioningly.

Rykov gestured for the Chief Petty Officer to take the tactical station. "Take your station, Chief. I will need you at tactical" she replied in a firm tone. "Tactical station one will be fine. You can control everything from there" she added. The 75000 Repulse was a Phalanx class starship. Her Bridge design was similar to that of the Sovereign class, and the Bridge layout was nearly identical.

"Aye" replied Wayerhauser as he took a stance behind the tactical station. He was used to his training simulations involving with security matters such as securing a room or guarding someone. From time to time his training involved aiding security forces in a simulated intruder alert, but his time at a tactical station was rather limited.

Cadet Fourth Class Kelly Khan entered the holodeck wearing her uniform and gave the commanding officer a nod. She had heard plenty of rumors about the Chief Engineer, but refused to believe them until she served under the woman for a month. "Cadet Khan reporting for duty," she said crisply.

Rykov placed her hands on her hip and raised a brow at the fourth year cadet's arrival announcement. "What is this? No, Sir or even a Ma'am. So crisply you are and yet about as lively as a Vulcan fasting" said the Chief Engineer shaking her head. Rykov wasn't angry or disappointed, she was just surprised at the young woman's control. "Take the helm, Cadet Khan" added Rykov.

Cadet Mackie was nor far behind Kelly. He'd spotted her enter the holodeck right after exiting the turbolift just down the corridor. Quinn quickly raced down the corridor, hoping to catch the large doors before they clamped shut, only to just miss his chance. They did however open for him. "Cadet Mackie here, Chief!" he said as soon as he was inside, standing beside Kelly.

"Now that's jovial enthusiasm" said Rykov with a smirk. "Khan is apparently the Vulcan to your Bolian, Cadet Mackie" jested Rykov with a small jab. Cadet Mackie was one of her own from Engineering. Some may have thought that that fact alone would have given Mackie an advantage, but truthfully it was more of a curse than a blessing. Rykov would apply more pressure on him and judge him harsher than the others. "Lucky you" she said broadly. "Ops station or the engineering station, regardless, you'll be shouldering most of the responsibilities for both" explained the Chief Engineer.

Quinn gave it a moment's thought before deciding on Ops. While this was a simulation, Quinn knew there would be little to do at the Engineering station besides bark reports. Ops was ideal for shunting power and affecting alterations to the ship to make it though a situation. "Yes, Chief," he said with a nod before approaching the station at the front of the bridge. At least I get to sit next to Kelly...

Kelly thought of a few ways to cause a massive power overload at her station as she sat at the helm when she realized that she had forgotten the Engineer's title. "I apologize Lieutenant," she said, under if the woman's honorific of DCSwould be applicable in a training scenario and opted to go for rank instead. "It won't happen again, ma'am." Little did Rykov know that off duty, Kelly was a hundred times more lively, but on duty, every order was attended to in a professional manner. Except a gaff at addressing a superior officer in a proper way she reminded herself.

Rykov looked at the Cadet taking the helmsmen's seat. "It's fine, Cadet. I requested to take on some training duties. Just be mindful of it" said Rykov. "Not every officer will care for the by the book formalities, but in the event you encounter some Admiral, mind your sirs and ma'ams." added the Chief Engineer. "I believe we have one more Cadet scheduled to join us today."

Elisha had only just been cleared for duty that morning. She was still tired, but she was sleeping on a regular schedule now and the Doctor felt she wasn't in danger of collapsing in exhaustion any more. In truth, it felt good to be doing something other than laying around trying- and failing- to sleep. So, she made her way to the holodeck. "Cadet Cherno, reporting as ordered... sir," she said as soon as she entered.

"This one has potential" said Rykov aloud. "Cadet, welcome aboard the USS Repulse NCC-75000, a holodeck simulation of course, but as far I am concerned when it comes to your training with me today... this is our starship and you are my crew" added Rykov to not just Cherno, but to them all. "Cadet Cherno, the science station is calling your name."

Elisha had winced visibly at the Chief Engineer's proclamation, but she tried to hide it. She had no idea why reporting for duty gave her potential, but whatever. She quickly took up position at the science station, trying not to look at the others.

"Alright then, let's begin" said Rykov as she took a seat in the command chair. "Computer run simulation" she said giving one last order 'out of character' before taking on her role commanding the starship. "Helm, break orbit of Persephone IV and lay in a course for the the Kokytos nebula"

"Course laid in and engaged," Kelly said as she laid in the course and warp.

Rykov remained seated in the Captain's chair, recalling mentally the memories of this day. The Repulse had been at Persephone IV to drop off a retired Federation Ambassador. Her next mission was to head to the Thanatos sector, carrying supplies for colonist on Thanatos VII, but with an extra cushioning of a few days, the Captain had ordered the starship to the Kokytos nebula, a nebula that was recently discovered and remained significantly unexplored.

"Cadet Cherno, our course will be bringing us through uncharted. Keep a close eye on sensors, we don't know what's ahead" said Rykov cautiously. "Start work on preparing some probes. If we are going to cutting through uncharted space, I'd like to give Starfleet at least a small gander at what is out here" added the woman.

"Aye, sir," said Elisha. She turned to the science station and checked the sensor functions and, finding them satisfactory, moved on to the probes. There were 20 ready, so she activated four of them and put them in stand-by mode. They would be ready when they were needed.

"Mackie" said Rykov in a firm tone. "Rykov's book of Engineering states that uncharted space equals unexpected gremlins" she said with a small smirk. "Stay atop of any gremlins that might run amok with ship's systems" ordered Rykov.

I know that reference! his mind cheered. Quinn smiled and replied, "Once I catch them, I'll make sure they're not fed after midnight." On a whim, he glanced at the nearby chronometer for the simulated time. Fortunately, it was nowhere close to midnight.

Elisha rolled her eyes. Why she found Quinn so annoying now was beyond her, but she did.

Parisa was a bit nervous and anxious. She moved around, squirming a bit in the Captain's chair. Trying on a red command uniform was an interesting experience, but Rykov was not really prepared for the feelings associated with sitting in a Captain's chair. "Chief Wayerhauser, how's space traffic?" asked Rykov.

The Chief Petty Officer was holding steady at the tactical station, monitoring things with more nervousness than Rykov. "It's....quiet at the moment, Sir. Long range sensors have detected a few vessels, but most are are all Federation" reported the Chief.

"Most, Chief?" replied Rykov. "Anything peculiar?" she asked seeking more detail.

The Chief cleared his throat. "I've identified a Gorn vessel in a neighboring sector, but we are somewhat close to Hegemony space. However, I am also detecting another vessel farther out...tri-lateral tetrahedron in shape."

"I see. No further information required, Chief" said Rykov with some interest. "Alright, bonus points to the first Cadet who can identify our tetrahedron friend."

"That would be a Tholian spaceship," Kelly said. She had made a study of ships in the Academy and knew that there were very few ships of that design.

Rykov was pleased. "Very good, Cadet. Those dimensions do match that of Tholian ship design." The woman was not overly concerned with one Tholian ship. The Federation and the Tholians were not at war at this time nor were there too many nasty run ins with them these days. "Cadet Khan, when did the Federation and the Tholian Assembly go to war?" she asked the young cadet at the helm.

It was one of those text book questions from Federation and Starfleet History, albeit with a slight curve ball thrown into it. What was sometimes referred to as the Tholian War had actually been a series of conflicts and skirmishes spanning several years. Some historians called it a war while others refrained from using such a powerful term.

Kelly thought for a moment as she mentally reviewed what she had learned at the Academy before she smiled. The Engineering Chief was trying to trip her up and see what she actually knew, but she had an answer for her. "Actually, there was no formal declaration of war between the Tholians and the Federation, Doctor Rykov," she said. "There was a series of conflicts which originated when the Tholians attacked the original Enterprise in twenty-one fifty-two but was finally brought to an end in twenty two fifty-four when there was a revelation regarding the differences in the way the two powers measured borders and territory."

"A natural historian in our midst" replied Rykov. "And aside from those skirmishes and incidents, the Federation does not tend to have much contact with the Tholians. Reclusive and xenophobic" added Rykov.

The Chief spoke up, cutting in after the Cadet finished responding. "I have something" said the Chief announcing his find. "There's a lot chatter going on out there. Transmissions, Ma'am and they are Tholian in origin."

Rykov nodded "Today is apparently one of those few times we hear from our friends" replied the woman. "Play transmission, Chief" ordered Rykov.

A few moments later, the simulated Bridge rang out with extremely high pitched shrieks that were nearly deafening to everyone's ears.

Kelly clapped her hands over her ears to block the cacophony of sound emerging from the speakers and winced.

Quinn grunted, quickly abandoning his work at the console to shield his ears from the horrible sound. He'd heard many strange noises when working with Engineering tech. This... this was unnatural.

"Universal translator, Chief!" shouted Rykov.

The Chief shouted over the Tholian noises. "NO CAN DO! THIS ISN'T..." the man then silenced the transmission. "Sorry. That was with the UT. It's definitely Tholian, but not in their modified language for us, it's older, I'd say not something Non-Tholians could understand. It does not sound too pleasant though even for Tholian" commented the Chief.

Rykov looked around the Bridge at the cadets. "Alright, Cadets. You heard it with your own ears. There's alot of Tholian chatter out there and we are incapable of understanding it. What would you do if you had command of this ship?"

"Have the computer try to extrapolate based on initial contact with the Tholians, Sir," Kelly said. "There has to be comparision in the database which can be used to figure out what they're saying."

Elisha opted not to answer. In the flight or fight response, she was a solid flight. She would have ignored them and hope they calm down on their own, but she didn't think that was the answer that Dr. Rykov wanted.

Rykov looked up over at the man at tactical. "You heard the woman, extrapolate the best we can. See what you can pick up, Chief."

Wayerhauser went to work running through the lingustical databses and any and all things he could find on Tholians and the Tholian language. "I'm not getting much so far...a few fragmented pieces of words. Ma'am it makes absolutely zero sense. They are either inviting people to a banquet involving a tentacle creature or they are warning about some sort of tentacle thing...more coming in. Something that translates to either a sexual act or to assist."

Lieutenant Rykov did her best to not laugh, but the attempt at translating was rather entertaining. "What do you make of it, Cadet Khan?"

Kelly tried to put all the pieces together in her mind and dismissed it as a hentai cult. "From the sound of it and what's been interpreted, it sounds like they're being attacked by something with tentacles at a guess and calling for help."

Rykov knew the decision the actual Captain of this starship made. It was one that costs lives, but also had some benefits in the end. "Alright, Cadets. Lay in a course and take us there...ahead warp 8."

"Course laid in," Kelly responded as her fingers flew over the helm "Warp eight, aye Sir." She engaged warp and the ship leapt forward.

"They're showing up on sensors now," Quinn reported, hands back on the console. "I'm picking up two contacts. One is definitely Tholian. The other... is not something the computer recognizes, or anything I've ever seen before."

Rykov scoffed "That would be the beast" said Rykov as the starship came rushing into the clutches of the beast. No sooner had she uttered the words did the starship meet the creature, a gigantic space organism that had eight large tentacles that absorbed energy in various forms. One tentacle latched right onto the starship's hull, it's suction cup appendages pulling the starship's energy, draining it with each passing second.

"Contact!" Kelly called out as the ship was pulled out of warp by a mysterious force. "Full reverse!" Without waiting for the order, she initiated the procedure.

Quinn's console began to flicker. "Main power levels are at sixty percent and dropping fast. I'm trying to compensate, but the batteries are being drained too."

"W-we could..." started Elisha, then hesitated. "We c-could feed the p-power from the main d-deflector dish into the hull. It would create an electric ch-charge that might m-make it let go." She blinked and looked away after realizing that everyone was looking at her. "I dunno," she mumbled. "It was j-just an idea.

Rykov nodded "Ideas are welcome and appreciated, Cadet. Let's give Cadet Cherno's plan a shot...make it so!" shouted the Chief Engineer. She knew that in the ship's actual encounter the crew had not made such and attempt. They did however, fire phasers upon phasers at the creature only ending up to narrowly escape. Though the creature only absorbed the phaser fire. Theoretically, this should just absorb the deflector power, but too much of something might cause it to release its grip thought the woman.

Quinn immediately went to work, channeling the main deflector to shunt its power into the hull. His hearing was not fine tuned by any means, but he could hear creaks and sizzles in the bulkheads above his head. "The primary hull is charging." His console then emitted a foul alarm. "Our warp field is destabilizing!" he called out. "The field coils aren't liking the electrical charge. As soon as we're free, it'll take me about thirty seconds to discharge the hull and stabilize the warp field."

Elisha blushed. She didn't expect anyone to actually take her seriously. The fact that they were actually acting on her idea made her feel... she didn't really know what it made her feel. Confident? Perhaps. But, also nervous. Confident and nervous. Confident because this was confirmation that she really could be a contributing member of a crew. Nervous because if it didn't work, it would be her fault.

Rykov was ready to give another order when something outside of the simulation interrupted her plans. It was her comm badge chirping up a storm. "Computer freeze program" she said before responding to the call. "This had better be important...I'm in the middle of a training program with the cadets" she said immediately.

There was silence for a few moments before someone from Engineering spoke up "I...I am sorry. You are needed in Engineering, Lieutenant. We have a...problem" came the shaky voice of the man. Damn these engineers she thought to herself. "I'm on my way" she said before terminating the channel.

She looked at the Cadets "Welcome to the life of a starfleet officer. Duty calls at all times...even ...no, especially when you are not to be disturbed. Class dismissed. We will continue this another time, and I'll leave my comm badge behind" she said shaking her head.

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