The Cavalry Have Arrived

Posted on Wed Apr 8th, 2020 @ 8:01pm by Captain Abigail Laurens & Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Commander William Rogers

Mission: Dead Moon
Location: Main Bridge

The ship they'd retrieved from the Charybdis Sector sat as unmoving and unlit as it had done since the Romulan attack. Rogers sat in the command chair splitting his attention on the view screen between the alien vessel and the ship Starfleet Intelligence had sent to retrieve it.

When the Ts'usugi appeared it did so without the fanfare of a ship leaving warp. One moment it was not there and then it was. While not the same design as the dead ship there were similarities between that gave light to the latter's shared heritage. Commonalities akin to Starfleet's love of twin nacelles and saucer sections.

"Your move." Buck muttered to the Intel Ship. He turned towards the science station. "Let me know when our ghost ship powers up." He tapped his comm badge. "Bridge to Captain Laurens, Ma'am we have the Ts'usugi vessel on approach. You asked to be notified when they arrived."

There was a moment of silence before the captain responded. "Thank you Lieutenant, I'm on my way," she replied. "Please have a member of security come to the observation lounge to escort Admiral Lockwood and his people back to the transporter room. Their time here has unfortunately come to an end."

"Copy that." He replied, as he passed the instruction onto Lieutenant Alani.

Shafts of orange yellow light lanced out from the Intel ship. They stabbed towards the ghost ship. A second barrage followed and the mystery ship shook as the fire pierced its shields. "Target the Intel Vessel's weapons." Buck ordered. "Knock out their guns if they try to fire again. Get me a damage report on the ghost ship."

A second flare of light from the vicinity of Intel ship. White this time as it jumped to warp. "Stand down weapons. What are the Ts'usugi up to?"

The journey from the observation lounge had felt like it had taken hours instead of minutes, but with a few moments to catch her breath and stop her hands from shaking, Abigail finally felt like she was ready and able to face whatever was about to happen. Given that there were humans on that ship and no sign of the Ts'usugi crew, Abigail had no idea how they were going to perceive the situation, especially after the actions of Lockwood and his band of merry men.

All she could do now was hope and pray that this situation was going to be salvageable enough that it would not reflect poorly on The Astraea, her crew, or the Federation as a whole.

Stepping out of the turbolift and onto the bridge, Abigail moved directly for the centre chair. "Lieutenant Rogers, Report."

"Intel just opened fire on the ghost ship and bugged out." Buck replied returning to the helm.

Almost as soon as Abigail sat down, the previously dead Ts'usugi ship lit up. "Hail them," she said calmly.

A heartbeat later, Abigail was on her feet again, tugging down her jacket as the screen flickered to reveal a male Ts'usugi.

"Shipmaster," she said warmly, lowering her head slightly out of respect. "I am Captain Abigail Laurens, Commanding Officer of the USS Astraea." Breaking any sense of protocol, she smiled before continuing. "You have no idea how glad I am to see your people here."

The figure on the screen was a grey-furred Ts'usugi male, dressed in a black uniform with grey hexagon trim. No rank insignia, no mark of station. Very bland, very casual. Very forgettable. "Provisional Shipmaster Kassim. It's a pleasure to meet you as well." he replied. His Federation standard was worryingly good. There was even a hint of a martian accent there. "I see one of the ships in the region is leaving the engagement area, and they're doing so at a speed that we can't match. I've been given some idea as to what's going on, but would you kindly take the time to fill in the details, Shipmaster Laurens?"

Abigail paused momentarily, taken aback by perfect Federation. "Provisional Shipmaster Kassim, perhaps that conversation would be better served in person where we can discuss things more... freely?" she suggested. "I personally guarantee your safety, I already have Daughters and Sons of Ts'u aboard my ship."

He gave a soft smile, "I do believe that would be splendid. I graciously accept your hospitality, Shipmaster. I can have a shuttle prepped for transport in ten minutes. If that works?"

"That will be perfect," Abigail said with a soft smile. "I'll have a shuttle bay cleared for arrival. I look forward to meeting with you, Shipmaster Kassim."