Posted by Lieutenant Selene Kross (Chief Science Officer) in Main Sim - Out of the Frying Pan (Bridge)

Posted by Civilian Stovik (Science) in Main Sim - Out of the Frying Pan (Bridge)

Posted by Commander Thraz sh’Kellirathras (First Officer/Chief of Security) in Main Sim - Out of the Frying Pan (Bridge)
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The Independence-class frigate had seen better days.

It was barreling through space at its emergency velocity—which, in its damaged state, was just Warp 8.1. Rather than the steady thrumming that normally accompanied high warp speeds, the vessel occasionally stuttered and struggled as the Sentinel redlined its warp engines. The electro-plasma system was fluctuating as well, though whether that was a symptom of the abused warp core or something else entirely had yet to be determined.

The ship really needed some time dedicated to troubleshooting and repairs, preferably in a spacedock. With other Federation ships under attack, however, time was a vital resource that couldn’t be wasted.

Flashing red lights cast a grim pallor over the bridge. “We’re dropping out of warp in thirty seconds, Captain,” the NE at the navigation station said in a strained voice. She was doing her best to maintain professionalism but was clearly worried about what they were going to encounter. A battle still in progress… or one long over?

To the phaser gun crews, prepared to do what was necessary, those thirty seconds seemed to last forever. To the NE at the navigation console, they flew by entirely too fast.

The Sentinel dropped out of warp and immediately shuddered as a chunk of space debris struck the shields. The viewscreen displayed a scene of utter chaos. Parts of broken ships littered the surrounding space, both Federation and Klingon. In the distance, they could see the USS Declaration, a _Nimitz-_class battlecruiser, being hounded by multiple Birds-of-Prey.

One of the small Klingon vessels was executing a strafing run as the Sentinel arrived. At first its disruptors tore into the aft section of the Declaration’s hull, then splashed harmlessly against its port shields as the battlecruiser maneuvered to protect its rear.

The Bird-of-Prey was now heading almost directly toward the Sentinel.

Gamemaster Mal Fet

Rende stabbed on the comms button. The bosun’s whistle sounded again, [O]All hands prepare to engage the Klingons.[C] She had a good crew; she didn’t need to tell them more than that. “Shields up, Cmdr. Thraz, target and fire at will. Helm, evasive maneuvers. Science, scan enemy ships, look for weaknesses and relay to tactical. Dovek, hail the Declaration and inform them we’ve arrived. Then tell medical to prepare for casualties.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Thaz’s fingers dipped accross the the console, the shields were already on the way up when she gave the order, he had initiated as the droped out of warp. he targeted their weapons and fired a full spread of torpedos at the approaching brid once it was in ranged the phasers sung in unison attempting to weaken the shields softening them for the torpedo spread.

“Firing” he called out accross the bridge.

Commander Thraz sh’Kellirathras,
Executive Officer, USS Sentinel

The Bird-of-Prey shifted course and initiated a strafing run on the Sentinel. The disruptor cannons mounted in the Klingon vessel’s wingtips fired. The green energy bolts splashed across the Sentinel’s shields, which managed to hold, though their integrity took a significant hit.

A torpedo flew out from the Federation frigate’s forward launcher, but before it could reach its target, the XO’s burst of phaser fire tore apart the smaller vessel’s shields. The torpedo struck a couple of seconds later, tearing open a large section of its main hull and sending it drifting.

The entire exchange was over in a matter of seconds.

“Captain, I’m having trouble locking on to any of the Klingons with the sensors!” the NE at the navigation station called out. “I can’t get you an accurate count of enemy vessels.”

The Sentinel unexpectedly shook again as it collided with another chunk of space debris.

“Keep your eyes on the road NE Driver,” Asam said calmly to the young man at the helm. “Kross, get those sensors working. Figure out why we are having trouble getting a lock.”

Thraz noted the shields had fallen to 77% from the disruptor barrage, and dropped another 2% from the collision with debris.

The Declaration was still on the viewscreen, and from this angle the crew could see one of the nacelles was dark and venting plasma. There was also a smaller Saladin-class vessel was maneuvering to support the flagship, but the distance made it impossible to make out any details. Both vessels exchanged fire with the Klingon vessels that darted in and out of range.

Gamemaster Mal Fet

“Dovek, any word from the Declaration? See if you can hail that Saladin class ship. Thraz, continue firing at will. Nightroad how is the ship holding up?”

Dovek contacted Delclaration, “Hailing the Declaration”

Cpt. Asam, CO

” My team is on it Captain. “

Selene Kross, Ph.D., M.D.
Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences Division // USS Sentinel
Advanced Cryogenic & Environmental Systems

As Lieutenant Kross started working the sensors, she immediately saw massive spikes of noise that made identifying anything difficult.

There were multiple sensor contacts for larger ships like the Declaration and the Lagertha, the Saladin-class destroyer defending the flagship. That made it almost impossible to pin down their actual locations.

The Birds-of-Prey had fewer sensor “ghosts,” but they were farther apart. The computer had even less confidence in their locations than it did for the larger vessels. The system currently had twenty-eight Klingon vessels tagged.

Even worse, the sensor ghosts would disappear altogether, only for new contacts to reappear somewhere else.

Gamemaster Mal Fet
Thaz spun to his left. “Captian I recomend Delta four evasive” he said that would cut them right across the nose of the declaration, providing a screen for a few moments. His eyes scaned for a target

Commander Thraz sh’Kellirathras,
Executive Officer, USS Sentinel

“Helm, engage Delta Four evasive,” Rende ordered as she watched the view screen trying to use her physical eyes rather than the sensors to give her information.

Cpt. Asam, CO

The Declaration answered the hail almost immediately. The viewscreen showed a Bolian male in the captain’s chair of the flagship. He had wide eyes, and his hands were gripped the arms of his chair. Behind him, a couple of medical technicians were providing first aid to an injured crewman on the deck.

“Thanks for the quick response, Sentinel. Things are looking dicey.” He jerked his head back and to the right. “Patch them through to the command center!”

The viewscreen flickered, immediately returning to its display of the battle before them, but an audio-only channel remained open. Admiral zh’Rhoe’s voice came over sharply.

“Voice comms only, Captain. Sensors are useless, so you’ll need to rely on visual reckoning to remain combat effective. We’re taking heavy fire, and shields are down to 36%. Link up with the Lagertha and Immelmann to form a defensive screen. Concentrate fire to whittle down their numbers… that’s their primary advantage.”

The Sentinel’s helmsman initiated the Delta Four maneuver, avoiding a few pieces of destroyed starships and closing the distance with the other Federation ships. The Declaration started to adjust course to head in their direction as well.

The damaged frigate took another pair of disruptor blasts to its aft port quarter… probably from one of a trio of sensor ghosts that had just popped up over in that area.

Gamemaster Mal Fet

Thaz attempted to target the senor ghost. He had a phaser spread ready to go the next time they fired he would manually target that location. “Science” he called back “Start working on a way to target these ship”

Thraz was not one for not speaking his mind when there was a fight going on and lives where at. “Admiral, Is there a reason you are staying here Sir, why not withdrawl?” he said without lifting his eyes from the tactical console.

Commander Thraz sh’Kellirathras,
Executive Officer, USS Sentinel

” on it Commander!” She replied

Selene Kross, Ph.D., M.D.
Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences Division // USS Sentinel
Advanced Cryogenic & Environmental Systems

Thraz made a good point. What was the point of this area? “Rand!” she called to her yeoman, “Find me everything about this area we have. Why there was a fleet here, why the Klingons might be here, importance, assets, everything.”

“Aye Captain,” the young yeoman called out. Rand moved to the nearest auxiliary console and sat. She quired up the computer and began searching the library for information about the area of space they were in. Colonies, outposts, star bases, mininning facilities, tactical and defensive importance. She also pulled up any information about the Declaration and Admiral zh’Rhoe that might be useful to the captain and crew.

Yeoman Rand

Punching a command into her console the main view screen split into 6 grids. The one directly in front of Thraz remained on the area he had been targeting. Then she zoomed in trying to get a better visual of the different areas around the Declaration and her supporting ship. This wasn’t Rende’s first battle, and it wouldn’t be her last. =/\=Admiral we can provide defense cover with the Lagertha and Immelmann while you get the Declaration out of here.=/\=

Her eyes trained on the ships, she even stood from her chair, taking a half step forward as she concentrated on the screen. Looking for the small signs of passing ships. Debris that moved or suddenly drifted in a different course, or seemed to stop. These were signs of ship’s shield and thrusters passing near by.

Cpt. Asam, CO

“The Klingons attacked our engineering section first.” The Admiral responded coolly to Thraz’s question, her attention clearly on the rest of the battle. “Nacelles 1 and 4 are out of commission, and the Declaration’s crew is working to align the warp coils in nacelles 2 and 3 to operate together. The Captain estimates they need another five minutes before we can even attempt to warp out of the system.”

=================================

Rand quickly pulled up the readily available information on the Cyrus system. There’s wasn’t much. There were no Federation stations or starships stationed here, no colonies or outposts of any kind, actually. There were two Class L planets, and both were in the circumstellar habitable zone. Cyrus I and II were undergoing long-term terraforming efforts, but those operations became autonomous during the 2230s when expansion in this region decreased in priority in favor of less dangerous systems. It seemed the Cyrus System’s only importance came from its proximity to the Klingon border… it was a regular patrol route for Starfleet vessels.

Compared to the system, there was almost too much information on Rear Admiral Varah zh’Rhoe. She was an Andorian graduate of Starfleet Academy whose studies focused on security, xenoanthropology, and linguistics. Zh’Rhoe eventually shifted to the command division and served as the XO of a cruiser and then a deep-space ordnance resupply station. She was the captain of the Alvarez in 2245 when hostilities last broke out into open conflict with the Klingons. As a captain and fleet captain, she became famous for leading a small squadron of destroyers to key victories.

She is highly decorated and considered a superior tactician, but she has her detractors. The Klingons named her Absolute Zero for her cold, merciless tactics in battle. She was brought up on charges of targeting non-combatants and protected buildings during the Klingon conflict, but the tribunal ruled in her favor due to a lack of evidence. She was promoted to rear admiral two years ago, and her file shows that she’s currently assigned to Tactical Operations, an agency within Starfleet Command.

=============================

Rand moved over to the captain’s chair and spoke quietly so as not to be overheard through the comms. She relayed the information about the sector and the Admiral to the captain before stepping back.

Yeoman Rand

Rende listened to the quiet report by her yeoman. Interesting, she thought. Was the admiral gung ho to fight more Klingons and return to glory, or were the Klingons out for revenge and targeted her?

As the Sentinel and Declaration closed the distance with each other, Rende could start making out more details. From this angle, she could see the starboard upper nacelle was blackened and venting plasma into the void, and multiple other scorch marks marred the flagship’s hull. She also saw a glimpse of an old Engl_e-class starship… the _Immelmann, judging from the multiple sensor ghosts… that had taken position below and to the rear of the Declaration.

With the naked eye, it was difficult to make out shifts in small debris, but she did see a pair of Birds-of-Prey swoop in on the Declaration’s stern. A quick glance at the sensors showed seven hostile “ghost” contacts in that general area. The first drew the fire of all three Federation ships while conducting evasive maneuvers, and the second followed up right on its tail and delivered a pair of disruptor blasts to the battlecruiser’s port upper nacelle.

The Sentinel was not quite in range to support the flagship.

Gamemaster Mal Fet

“Helm increase speed and get us closer. Thraz, target the second ship as soon as we are in range. They are attacking in pairs. Let the other three focus on the initial attack, get behind the second and fire,” Asam ordered.

Cpt. Asam, CO

Lieutenant Kross turned from her science console toward the command chair, the latest sensor data still streaming across the display in front of her. The tactical picture was becoming increasingly chaotic, but she had enough information now to give Captain Asam a meaningful assessment.

“Captain, Science has completed the initial verification of our sensor systems. Our arrays are functioning within established tolerances. We have independently confirmed the anomalous readings across multiple sensor modalities, so I am confident this is not a Sentinel systems failure.”

She brought several of the duplicated contacts onto the main display.

“The first major anomaly concerns the Federation vessels. We are detecting multiple contacts identifying themselves as the Declaration, Immelmann, Lagertha, and Pontiac. The important point is that these are not simply duplicated transponder signals. We are receiving corresponding physical sensor data from the contacts—hull characteristics, energy emissions, propulsion signatures, and other measurable parameters.”

Kross paused briefly.

“In other words, Captain, our sensors aren’t merely telling us that four ships are transmitting the same identification. They’re telling us that multiple physical contacts possess those identities.”

Her fingers moved across the console, isolating the intermittent Klingon contacts.

“The Klingon situation is equally unusual. We’re detecting more than sixty Klingon vessels throughout the battlespace, but individual contacts are repeatedly appearing and disappearing from our sensor picture. Some of the apparent changes in position are inconsistent with conventional propulsion. Science is currently comparing those discontinuities against local subspace, gravimetric, and chronometric conditions.”

She shifted the display again, bringing up the life-sign data.

“The good news is that we’re detecting hundreds of life signs. A significant number correlate with Federation escape-pod emergency transponders. We’ve begun separating confirmed pod-and-life-sign correlations from probable and unresolved contacts. Those coordinates are being passed continuously to Medical and Operations.”

Her expression became more serious.

“We’re also detecting extensive debris throughout the battlespace. Preliminary analysis indicates that much of it is starship debris, including material showing residual heat and energy signatures consistent with recent destruction. Whatever happened here, multiple vessels have been lost.”

Kross looked directly toward Asam.

“Captain, I want to make one distinction very clear. We believe the sensors are telling us the truth. We just don’t yet understand what that truth represents.”

She brought the duplicated Federation contacts back onto the display.

“Our working possibilities are that we’re seeing multiple physical vessels, multiple sensor images of the same vessels, or vessels being observed at different spatial or temporal positions. I am not prepared to tell you which one is responsible yet.”

A brief pause followed as another group of contacts flickered across the tactical display.

“My recommendation is that Tactical not rely solely upon Federation or Klingon transponder identification when determining what we’re looking at. Until Science resolves this, treat every contact according to its independently measured physical characteristics and current position.”

Kross glanced back toward her console.

“And I have instructed Science to preserve the raw sensor telemetry and timestamps. I don’t want the computer automatically merging or normalizing these contacts. If there is a temporal or spatial component to this phenomenon, those raw observations may be the evidence we need to identify it.”

She returned her attention to the command chair.

“For the moment, our priorities should remain the survivors. We can investigate why the battlefield appears impossible once we’ve secured the people we can still save.”

Kross straightened slightly.

“That is the current Science assessment, Captain. The anomaly is real. The sensors are working. We simply haven’t determined what the battlespace is doing to the information they’re receiving.”

Selene Kross, Ph.D., M.D.
Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences Division // USS Sentinel

Asam was becoming annoyed. They did not have time to listen to lectures, they needed quick facts direct reports. “Lt Kross, we are in a battle situation. Learn to make your reports syscinct and to the point.”

“Dovek listen out for emergency pings from the life pods.”

Rende pressed her comm button, [O]Admiral, how many ships have been destroyed? Did anyone eject life pods?[C]

While waiting the answer, she turned fully to Kross. “Since the sensors are not broken, find a way to compensate!” She barked at the CSO.

The reply from Admiral zh’Rhoe came a moment later.

“Six destroyers and one cruiser, Captain.” Her voice was flat. Emotionless. “Angle down seven degrees, Sentinel. You’ll defend the Declaration’s ventral side.”

The Rear Admiral paused again, probably issuing other orders, as the crew could see the_ Immelmann_ changing position through one small section of the viewscreen. “And yes, multiple lifepods ejected. We haven’t been able to attempt any retrievals yet.”

As the Sentinel’s position changed in relation to the battlecruiser, it became clear that the port lower nacelle was also heavily damaged. Rather than venting plasma, though, this one was completely black and dead.

Another pair of Klingon vessels were setting up an attack run on the Declaration’s stern, which the Sentinel was not yet in position to defend.

Cpt. Asam, CO

Kross did not take the Captain’s rebuke personally. Asam was correct about the tactical situation, and there was no value in burying the bridge in scientific interpretation while ships were exchanging fire. She immediately stripped the report down to the actionable information.

“Understood, Captain.”

She turned back toward her console, fingers moving rapidly across the LCARS interface.

“Science is compensating now. I’m filtering the sensor picture by independently verified physical characteristics rather than transponder identification. We will give Tactical a clean contact picture based on what the sensors physically detect, not what the vessels claim to be.”

Kross brought the survivor telemetry into a secondary display.

“Confirmed escape pods and lifesigns will remain priority. I’ll have Science continuously update their coordinates and transmit only verified rescue contacts to Medical and Operations.”

Her eyes narrowed as she watched the anomalous contacts flicker across the display.

“As for the duplicate ships, I cannot eliminate the phenomenon yet. I can, however, prevent it from contaminating our tactical picture. Give me a few seconds.”

She made another adjustment to the sensor processing parameters.

“Captain, immediate facts: sensors operational. Hundreds of lifesigns detected. Multiple Federation vessels appearing under duplicate identities. Sixty-plus intermittent Klingon contacts. Extensive starship debris. Survivor locations are being isolated now.”

Kross looked toward Asam.

“I’ll give you facts first from this point forward. Science will work out the why while we deal with the what.”

Selene Kross, Ph.D., M.D.
Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences Division // USS Sentinel
Advanced Cryogenic & Environmental Systems

The Chief Science Officer focused on the Klingon contacts to clean up the tactical picture, but the data remained frustratingly indistinct.

The contact quality was weak… like the sensors were having difficulty picking up the Birds-of-Prey at all. The contacts themselves dropped on and off the screen periodically as the computer lost contact on one or identified another in a different location. The second she started focusing on a contact to compare it to another it would drop out.

The Lieutenant worked furiously for a solution, accessing the sensor logs from from 10-20 seconds ago so she had stable readings to investigate. She eventually saw that some of the contacts appeared to be duplicates. The heat readings and warp signatures were just too similar.

The probability of three to five ships having such similar signatures was low… but multiple groups of three to five ships with nearly identical signatures in a single area was statistically absurd.

Gamemaster Mal Fet

Thraz manualy worked to lock onto the vessles attacking from the rear, he did wonder about the sensors and if something else was trying to make it look like the klingons were attacking, playing on the Admirals hate for them. “Firing Captian” he said as a phaser beragage launched toward the target.

Commander Thraz sh’Kellirathras,
Executive Officer, USS Sentinel

=^= Sickbay to bridge. Captain, I’m setting up triage in the lounge. Permission to take command of all non-essential personnel with basic med training and requesting the support of operations for the set up. =^=

Dr Anu, CMO

Again Rende pressed the internal comm button. [O]Granted doctor.[C] the comm closed as she turned back to the battle taking place.

Cpt. Asam, CO

The Sentinel shuddered again as it weathered a barrage of four disruptor blasts from behind. Thraz watched the viewscreen showing the space immediately behind the frigate and manually fired the aft phasers and torpedo launcher. The sensors and targeting system were still having difficulty establishing a solid lock.

One of the phasers hit the first Klingon vessel, but the other went wide. The torpedo missed the leading Bird-of-Prey altogether, but the trailing vessel clipped the torpedo as it tried to evade. The Klingon ship’s shields dropped, and fires broke out along its starboard wing.

More pressing was the looming attack run on the Declaration. The Sentinel was angling below the battlecruiser and heading toward its stern, but it wasn’t in position to fire yet… the attack run was coming from above and behind the struggling battlecruiser.

To its veteran officers, it was clear that the Sentinel normally moved faster than this. Either their impulse engines were degraded, or their helmsman was feeling the pressure of navigating through the chaos of the battlefield.

A quick glance at the tactical display showed that the shields were down to 14%. The attack angle slowly improved as the Sentinel moved beneath and past the Declaration.

The Lagertha and Immelmann fired at the leading Bird-of-Prey as the attack run started, tearing through its shields and then burning long strips into its hull. The damaged Klingon vessel exploded, peppering the flagship and its picket ships with more debris.

The trailing Bird-of-Prey was almost in position. The Sentinel’s angle was bad… the range long… and they still couldn’t establish a targeting lock. Thraz calculated the shot manually and fired. Four phaser beams shot out, lancing through space. Three missed, but the last struck home, popping the attack vessel’s shields and leaving it vulnerable.

Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the Klingon ship from firing.

A pair of disruptor blasts shot out and struck the Declaration’s upper port nacelle. Its light didn’t go out, though. Instead, the pylon broke off completely and started floating away from the battlecruiser.

That seemed to cause a shift in the battle.

The Klingon vessels pulled away from their attack runs and started jumping to warp. As they did, a series of small explosions started erupting throughout the debris field. Those watching the science sensors saw all the Klingon life signs wink out. The implication was chilling: the Klingons would rather destroy their own escape pods than risk capture.

In the suddenly silent space, Lieutenant Kross realized that the sensor “ghosts” and interference were gone. There was only one contact each for the Declaration, Lagertha, Immelmann, and Pontiac. It was also clear that the_ Pontiac_ was too badly damaged to survive. It was adrift, and the crew was in the process of abandoning ship.

The four battered Federation ships were all that remained in the system.

Gamemaster Mal Fet

Thraz was like Ice through the entire event, he was not stranger to combat, the lives that were lost would be felt later as the body came down off it’s high, “Captain, shields are at 14%, The klingons have fled, they have, dealt with their escape pods. ” he noted. “I recomend we stay at Yellow alert untill we are sure they are not comming back and there are no vessles hideing in the area.”

Commander Thraz sh’Kellirathras,
Executive Officer, USS Sentinel

The comms crackled to life with a comm call from Science, =^= Stovik to Lieutenant Kross. The sensor anomalies have resolved. Science now confirms four surviving Federation vessels in addition to the Sentinel. The Pontiac has sustained critical damage and is presently being evacuated. =^=

=^= We have confirmed 174 Federation life signs associated with active escape pod beacons. That number is increasing as additional personnel evacuate the Pontiac. We now have sufficiently stable sensor locks to support transporter operations and I am transmitting survivor coordinates to the bridge and transporter rooms. =^=

=^= There are no detectable Klingon life signs. Their escape pods appear to have been destroyed as the remaining Birds-of-Prey withdrew at warp. Given the extent of the debris field and estimated vessel losses, the number of surviving Federation personnel remains significantly below statistical expectations. I recommend continued wide-spectrum casualty scanning for survivors not associated with functioning beacons. Stovik out. =^=

Stovik
Science Specialist

Lieutenant Selene Kross watched the final remnants of the anomalous sensor returns disappear from her display, leaving behind a battlefield that was somehow more disturbing in its clarity than it had been when the sensors were flooded with ghosts. The duplicated contacts were gone. The Klingon vessels had vanished into warp, and the Federation ships were now registering as singular, stable contacts. She barely had time to process the change before Stovik’s transmission confirmed what Science was seeing: four surviving Federation vessels in addition to the Sentinel, with the Pontiac critically damaged and evacuating. More importantly, the escape-pod telemetry was finally stable enough to support an organized rescue operation.

“Understood, Stovik. Maintain those locks and keep transmitting confirmed coordinates to Transporter Control and Medical. Prioritize any life signs that aren’t associated with an active beacon. If their transponders are gone, the life signs are what matter.” Kross shifted through the sensor data, isolating the confirmed survivor returns from the surrounding debris. “Science will maintain a continuous wide-spectrum sweep. I want the raw telemetry from the anomaly preserved before the computer has an opportunity to overwrite it. We may not understand what happened yet, but we have a record of it now.”

She looked toward the command chair. “Captain, the sensor interference has cleared completely. We have stable locks on the remaining Federation vessels and reliable transporter-quality readings on the escape pods. Stovik has confirmed 174 survivors so far, with additional life signs appearing as the Pontiac continues its evacuation. No Klingon life signs remain.” Kross paused for only a moment before returning her attention to the science console. “Science will concentrate on locating survivors and preserving the battlefield data. I’ll report anything unusual immediately.”

Kross turned back toward the sensor display, her hands already moving across the console. The battle might have ended, but to her it was clear that the scientific investigation had only begun. The strange duplication of vessels, the impossible sensor signatures, and whatever had caused the interference had left behind a data trail. For now, however, there were living people drifting among the wreckage, and those lives took precedence over every unanswered question.

Selene Kross, Ph.D., M.D.
Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences Division // USS Sentinel
Advanced Cryogenic & Environmental Systems

The comms with Rear Admiral zh’Rhoe opened again, but this time it was a multi-ship channel.

[O]”The Declaration can no longer jump to warp with just 25% field capacity. Captain Ednar’s team is working up possible solutions.” [C]

That hung in the air for a moment. Warping out in five minutes was no longer an option. They were stuck in the system and could be the target of future Klingon raids.

[O]”But in the meantime, we must prioritize rescue operations. There is always the risk of the Klingons returning, so Captains Ito and Hodoch will escort my flagship as we head to the Pontiac and render aid. Captain Asam, the Declaration is going to transport a handful of critically injured marines for immediate treatment… our Sickbay is over capacity at the moment. Then have the Sentinel conduct a sweep to rescue any outlying lifepods before linking up with the rest of the task force.” [C]

Gamemaster Mal Fet