IOU
Posted on Thu May 1st, 2025 @ 1:52am by Commodore Wilkan Targaryen & Commander Zhora zh'Roothi
2,887 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
InQuiry
Location: Main Bridge
Timeline: 2439-03-13, 19:00
"Shields up," Lieutenant Commander Joseph Shabalala bellowed from his chair, "Going to red alert."
Commodore Wilkan Targaryen sat in the center seat watching the tactical readouts on his armrest. Three Jem'Hadar vessels were inbound, and they were already in attack formation. While the ship was capable, even three Jem'Hadar attack ships were a formidable threat to a Starfleet vessel. They would have to work fast.
"Captain, half the systems on this runabout are disabled. I'm going to have to break formation."
Wilkan nodded as he rose from his chair. While he didn't relish losing one of their defenders, he didn't like putting people in harms way needlessly. He tapped the comlink, "Alright, Chief, we'll do our best to screen you from enemy fire. Return to the wormhole and get help."
"Captain, I'd like to see if I can get close enough to the planet to locate the away team."
"Ten minutes," the Commodore authorized, "but then I want you out of there."
Lieutenant Maritza Gonzales said from the Ops console, "Enemy ships within range."
"Ready to fire at your command," the Executive Officer reported.
Wilkan watched as the three ships approached. Starfleet regulations dictated that they couldn't be the aggressors, but it was hard not to order the ship to open fire first, especially knowing how these types of confrontations usually went. Instead, he issued other orders, "Gonzales, transfer power to the Phasers. Runabouts break formation. Attack pattern Delta!"
On the viewscreen the three identical Jem'Hadar assault ships raced toward the Federation ships, maintaining a very close formation in the process. The two remaining runabouts broke away to engage the Jem'Hadar ships and started exchanging fire. The runabouts, due to their maneuverability, easily avoid the Jem'Hadar weapons. Unfortunately, their capital ship wasn't as lucky. Jem'Hadar weapons tore into the shields quickly, passing through them like they weren't even there.
The Bridge filled with smoke and fire as consoles sparked around them. Main power quickly started to fail and the lights dropped, leaving only the flashing Red Alert lights to illuminate the room. Another explosion rocked the Bridge and Wilkan held tightly to the side of his chair to remain stable.
"They're using Phased Polaron Beams to bypass our shields," Lieutenant Jason Talltree informed from the Tactical Station. "I'm trying to remodulate, but it's like they aren't even there."
Commander Shabalala yelled over the sound of the fire extinguishers as personnel tried to put out fires, "I'm getting casualty reports from decks four, five, eight and seventeen and we have a plasma leak in our port nacelle."
"Deploy damage control teams," Wilkan ordered, "Targaryen to runabouts."
"Go ahead."
"They're using Phased Polaron Beams to penetrate our shields," Targaryen explained as the ship took another hit.
"Have you tried altering your harmonics to compensate?"
The Commodore wanted to point out how stupid a question that was, but decided to ignore the obvious and just answer, "We've rotated through the full spectrum, but none of the frequencies have been effective." He looked at the Tactical Officer, who confirmed with a single nod. He sighed and looked down a moment, "Divert your shield power to weapons. You have five more minutes to try to rescue the away team, and then we're getting the Hell out of here!"
"Understood."
"Runabouts are entering into a new formation," Ensign Doyle interrupted. "They're engaging..." The Ensign didn't get a chance to finish his thought as the ship was hit by more energy beams, her console exploding from the energy overload.
"Medical team to the Bridge," the Commodore ordered. "Gonzales, transfer flight controls to your station. Evasive pattern Sierra Four."
The Second Officer nodded, "Aye!"
"Fire phasers at any target of opportunity, Lieutenant," Wilkan ordered.
"Starboard power coupling has overloaded," Talltree explained, "We've got a radiation leak on decks ten through twelve."
Shabalala spoke out, "Switch to backup."
"Backups aren't responding," Talltree answered.
"Engineering to Bridge."
"Go ahead Chief," Wilkan answered.
New to his role as Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Commander Mislav Kovac said, "Sir, I've taken the Phaser and Torpedo systems offline."
"I appreciate that, Chief," the Commodore answered, "but we're in the middle of a fight we can't win without weapons."
"I was trying to safeguard the lives of people on those decks," the Chief Engineer protested, "but you're right. The Phasers and torpedoes are back on-line."
Wilkan almost apologized, but he knew how this was going to turn out, "Continue firing Phasers, target the lead ship and fire."
"Firing, Sir," Lieutenant Talltree replied as he brought the Phasers to bear. "Minimal damage to the Jem'Hadar."
"Evasive pattern Kirk Epsilon," Targaryen directed to the Operations Officer. "Find a way to get the shields..."
An explosion rocked the ship as the Jem'Hadar vessel returned fire, the shields catching one of the runabouts in the process as the Jem'Hadar continued their assault. The speakers crackled with their report.
"My control panel is dead," the pilot announced.
Another added, "We've lost our sensors."
"Break off, Mekong. Initiate evasive maneuvers. We'll lay down covering fire," the pilot of the Orinoco ordered.
"Rio Grande to Odyssey. We've got the away team!"
Wilkan grabbed the side of the Tactical console to stabilize himself, "Glad to hear it, Chief!"
"Damage control team to level seven," Lieutenant Commander Shabalala ordered from his console. He looked at the Captain, "Our tactical control systems are down. We've lost power to weapons."
Inwardly, Wilkan mused about how that would at least help protect the people exposed to the radiation on Decks ten through twelve. Bridge to Engineering, Chief, get that port nacelle back on line!"
"Aye, Captain," Kovac answered with some annoyance still on his tone.
"Targaryen to runabouts, we've got what we came for. Fall back to," the ship shook from the impact of another Jem'Hadar weapon, nearly knocking the Commodore from his feet. He grabbed the side of his chair, "Report."
Maritza Gonzales yelled, "Communications have been hit."
Still holding tightly, "Get us to the wormhole. Maximum available speed!"
"Aye Sir," Lieutenant Gonzales agreed as she rapidly typed on the workstation.
The Odyssey quickly turned away from the remaining two Jem'Hadar starships, so quickly that the inertial dampeners had difficulty keeping up and the Commodore felt like he was going to throw up.
'We'll have Warp in two minutes," Commander Shabalala said as he typed on his console.
But Wilkan knew the truth. Behind his chair, Lieutenant Talltree spoke with dread, "One of the Jem'Hadar ships is on a collision course!"
"Evasive! All power to shields!"
Lieutenant Gonzales tried to accommodate the order, but it was already too late. The Odyssey was just too large and too damaged to make the required maneuvers and the Jem'Hadar ship crashed directly into the Engineering hull near the main deflector dish.
Alarms blared on the Bridge of the Galaxy Class starship Odyssey following the impact. Wilkan screamed, "Eject the..." But it was too late for even that. The Warp Core of the Odyssey breached, destroying the ship in a ball of fire.
Commodore Wilkan Targaryen sat in the center seat of the holographic recreation of the Starship Odyssey's Bridge annoyed by his failure. One of Starfleet's options for the Kobayashi Maru scenario, the simulation followed the historic first contact between Starfleet and the Dominion. In the scenario, just as in reality, the Odyssey traveled into the Gamma Quadrant to investigate the Jem'Hadar threat and to rescue a survey team led by Commander Benjamin Sisko. During the mission the Odyssey and its runabout defense screen engaged three Jem'Hadar attack ships, and took severe damage before the Jem'Hadar made a suicide run at the Odyssey as she retreated, exploding with all hands lost. The loss of the Odyssey was the flashpoint where the Federation realized that the Dominion was a dangerous threat and was a watershed moment that led to a cold war. While the Commodore knew that this was part of the Kobayashi Maru scenario and, thus, unwinnable, he still tried to test his mettle against the Dominion. They were at peace now, but Wilkan knew that could change at any time.
He was about to leave, when he realized that he wasn't alone.
Swivelling the seat at the station over his left shoulder Commander zh'Roothi brushed the imaginary embers from her lap. Though it had only been a simulation she wasn't able to quash the reaction of ensuring her limbs were intact after the explosion.
"An ominous choice of scenarios," she commented. "Given our...situation." She paused as if hunting for the correct word before rising to her feet seemingly satisfied her uniform was no longer alight.
Captain Keogh's Bridge aboard the Starship Odyssey was atypical for the time. While the Captain was typically located in the center of the Bridge at the apex of a pyramid, aboard the Odyssey the chairs were inverted with the Captain coming before his XO and guest. The XO also sat to the left, with the guest on the right. Turning his chair toward the guest, Wilkan confirmed, "I suppose that you could say that, Commander, though I didn't realize I wasn't alone during this session."
The Andorian stepped towards him with a slight hesitation: "May I speak freely?" she asked. Despite embarking on this mission a few weeks ago to Zhora the Commodore still felt like a stranger and that she had a stronger repour with the senior staff than the Commanding Officer. She respected him greatly hence the request even if they were alone on the holodeck.
"Please," Targaryen approved without hesitation.
"I came in because I'm worried about you Will," the XO began and moved in closer. "I'm sorry if I was intruding and I'll leave if you wish. I just wanted to check in with you - in between the Vorta arrival and the Tosk incident you've been rather aloof."
"I do admit that it's a bit difficult being out here and it's opened up some old wounds from the Dominion War," the Enterprise's Captain admitted. "Peace is important, but when you are dealing with people who are made of Play-Doh, that can look like anyone, and feel they're superior it can be a little daunting."
Feeling a little more at ease now zh'Roothi sat in the neighbouring seat and smiled at his comment. She was tempted to ask him to clarify the Play-Doh reference but the notion came to light as he continued.
"Oddly that's how I see you at times - daunting. With your knowledge, expertise and earned reputation you're a hard act to follow."
He nodded, absently, at the comment. Being an El-Aurian, even a young El-Aurian, came with certain stigmas for others. Most people assumed you were automatically wise beyond your years or had seen every major event since the beginning of time. Some species were even longer lived, and he remembered meeting one who had been asked what the beginning of time looked like on Old Earth.
"Did you want to talk about those past experiences?" the Commander asked. "I don't mean with the Counselor - though I'm not technically qualified I still have ears and am willing to listen if that helps."
He smiled, thinking about the diaspora of different memories of that time and how overwhelming they could be, but the truth was that he couldn't go too much into them right now. While he wanted to be more open with the crew, he knew that wasn't always a possibility this far into a young command. The words of Admiral Spock rang in his ears during his Command Training:
'You're the captain of this ship. You haven't the right to be vulnerable in the eyes of the crew. You can't afford the luxury of being anything less than perfect. If you do, they lose faith, and you lose command.'
"I'm appreciative of your concern, Zhora, but I'm fine. Really," he answered.
The antenna upon her crown rotated at his response while the rest of her frame and expression remained still. Truthfully it had been the answer she'd expected from him and would be from most of his peers if poised the same question. The stubbornness and clam-shell-like demeanour displayed zh'Roothi knew well, but damn was it infuriating at times.
"I'll be here if you change your mind," the Commander replied opting to be supportive for now.
"I know," the Enterprise's Captain smiled before repeating, "I know." He looked around the recreated Bridge of the Odyssey, thinking about everything that happened aboard the ship all those years ago. His smile quickly turned somber. "This ship was a real turning point in history," Wilkan admitted. "Galaxy Class ships were top of the line vessels, crewed by the best of the best that Starfleet had to offer. The Dominion destroyed this ship in four minutes."
"I know," zh'Roothi nodded feeling equally as somber. The weight of historic events hung around the Enterprise like a curse, always ready to taint your decisions and cloud your prescriptive in the moment. "A lot has changed since then, for both ourselves and Dominion."
Wilkan nodded, "Yeah, the Federation went the way of the Dominion. We were so worried about the dangers out there that we became a military instead of explorers and, while the Borg were the start, this was the true catalyst. This is when I felt the galaxy start to change, and not for the better, Commander."
"I'd consider that a matter of opinion," zh'Roothi crossed her legs. "My predecessors would approve along with more traditionalist Andorians. Military might is a core value in our society, to be in the Imperial Guard is a great honour to any family even today."
"Probably why there were so few Andorians during my early days in the fleet, and far more these days than before," the Commodore countered her answer, maintaining his melancholy about the whole situation. "Sorry, I'm not meaning to be so down in the dumps, Commander, really."
"You have nothing to apologise for," she shrugged. "I'm the gate crasher on your holo time - you should be angry that I've intruded here. What you choose to do with your free time is none of my business, just as long as you have a clear head before returning to the bridge. That's all I can ask."
"Nah it's actually been kinda fun for someone to have intruded," Wilkan answered. "I've been running this simulation off and on for years. Even though we're early in our mission in the Gamma Quadrant I've played it each day since we got here, trying to see if there was any way to actually save the ship. I came close once, but then the runabouts are lost. It's really no surprise this got absorbed into the Kobayashi Maru scenario as one of the options presented." He smirked, "Back when I took it you still fought the Klingons on the Bridge of the Enterprise."
The XO chuckled: "That classic is still available upon request I believe but only after you'd already passed the initial test." her smile slipped. "I wouldn't say it is my favourite topic in the semester - I prefer to be hands on than in the centre seat."
"Maybe I should've had you double as Science Officer," Targaryen commented with a sigh. "At any rate, hopefully this mission will finally bring the crew some peace after the last two. We did, after all, have a hand in the devastation of a world on our last mission."
She tilted her head: "Hardly," zh'Roothi replied. "We complied with every instruction - abet not always within the time frame discussed. We saw no indication of the Tosk's intent to cause harm let alone genocide."
"You do have a point, Commander, but I think that the Dominion denying the crew the ability to assist with the recovery has been a point of contention for many. I thought about asking Administrator Kuzos to intervene on our behalf, but our proceeding forward is in our better interest, I suppose at least." He glanced at the datapad that he carried with him, "It's later than I thought it was. Still Gamma Shift, but I'm afraid I missed my call with my wife and kids back on 419. Have anything fun planned for tonight?"
The XO nodded thoughtfully as Will explained the matter in another light. It had been difficult to leave the system as he sat upon the brink. She blinked back into the present: "I'm sorry you missed your call with the family. Will you be able to arrange another soon I hope? "
"Unfortunately, probably not. With everything going on with real time communications through the Wormhole it was the only time we could schedule for a live chat. It's probably for the best. She'd know I was in a mood," Targaryen answered. "I like how you deflected from my other question."
"Doctor Riavria is hosting a poker night which I agreed to attend," zh'Roothi gave in.
"I'd heard that our new Chief Medical Officer had been wanting to get a Senior Staff game started. Better not keep her waiting, Exec. She's one of the few people on this ship that actually scares me," the Commodore joked.
A chuckle emitted from zh'Roothi at the Commodore's jibe. "She does have a certain demeanour that would put one off from going to Sickbay willingly."
Wilkan nodded, "All I can say then is good luck!"
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