Chapter 9 - The USS Exeter
The Eurka Maru appears in the Epslion Delta system in a flash of white light.
" Scan for a gas giant with a small ice moon, the Exeter will be in a polar orbit there. " Worf says. Beka quickly scans the system.
" I have them, the ship looks to have taken quite a beating " Beka responds, moments later
As Tyr alters the Eureka Maru's course toward the stricken ship Worf speaks
" Yes, the Excelsior class starship has one of the most durable space frames that the Federation has ever designed. They have been in service now for roughly 85 years. "
Worf then simply stares out of the cockpit window of the small ship until the Exeter comes into view. The ships hull was covered in weapons impacts. The command bridge on the top of the ship had been completely gutted, the port side impluse engine looked like a black twisted heap of metal. As they got closer Worf could make out numerous hull breaches, but without the tell tale force field designed to keep the atmosphere inside the ship.
" There is a docking bay at the rear of the ship " Bashir says to Tyr quietly from the rear of the cockpit
Tyr pilots the Maru round the ship so that they can approach the docking bay. But as the bay comes into view, they can see that it has also been on the receiving end of some enemy fire. The bay doors, which close automatically whenever the ship is under battle conditions, had been blown apart, making the bay unusable.
" It looks like she was ambushed with her shields down from the front and rear at the same time " Bashir says, more to himself than anybody else.
Worf silently agreed with the young Doctor's assesment, but simply said " There should be a docking port on the port side of the lower hull that will match the Maru's docking port "
Again the small tug approached the larger vessel, damage was becoming more and more visible on the Exeter. Black marks indicating hull breaches and weapon impacts were dotted about the entire vessel. As the Maru approached Tyr noticed that the weapons array on the bottom section was hanging on, literally by there power cables.
Tyr brought the ship to docking port and they connected as quickly as possible. The docking port airlock doors rolled aside to reveal Lt Kidd waiting for them, Bashir vanished quickly into the ships interior, while two of the three nurses with him waited at the docking port to assist the wounded as they arrived. Beka stayed in the cockpit keeping an eye on sensors for any sign of the attackers, which could still be anywhere in the system.
Worf and Tyr were speaking quickly with Lt Kidd about the status of the Exeter and its surviving crew.
" Our ships complement was 450, we left base with an additional 200 marines, we had to convert the shuttle bay and two holds to accommodate them. "
At this revelation, Worf realised that they would have been sucked out when the hanger doors were breached.
" There are only 155 crew still able to stand, including the remaining marines, and we have 84 people in sick bay. They caught us with shields down and suffered a lot of hull breaches, most of our people were literally sucked out into space. All power was lost to the forward section of the ship. Power relays and conduits have blown all over the ship, we are stuck down in the engineering sections, scanners are not picking up any life signs in the neck or primary hull. "
Worf digests all he is told
" Mr Kidd, we have not been able to contact any allied vessel able to respond, this is a small medical relief ship, we don't have any engineers on board. What are the chances of the Exeter being made for warp speed ready with your current level of manpower, don't tell me what I want to hear, just the truth. "
Kidd looks relieved that Worf is happy to take command of such a wrecked ship.
" Honestly, sir, the ship is wrecked. The only thing that seems to be working is the SIF, the warp drive off -line, the ..." he is interrupted by Tyr
" What if I may ask is a SIF ? "
Kidd looks at Tyr as if he had just sprouted a second head
" The Structural Integrity Field is the field that controls hull stress. Without it the hull of our ships would simply not be able t with stand the pressure of FTL travel or battle " Mr Kidd loses his train of thought as Tyr turns and hurries into the cockpit.
Worf can hear him speaking with Beka. He returns a minute later.
" Mr Worf, Mr Kidd, I have a suggestion, the Maru is primarily a salvage vessel, it has engines a lot more powerful than most vessels of this size. We could evacuate most of your personnel except a skeleton crew here, and then attach our towing cables and get the Exeter out of here. The only gamble is would the SIF hold? "
Kidd answers straight away
" Not with our current power reserves. "
Beka's voice is suddenly heard from behind Tyr " I'll set up a power feed cable as well, but we have to break orbit in 18 minutes or there's going to be trouble. The scanners have picked up two vessels heading this way, and your database identifies them as Galor class warships. "
The Eurka Maru appears in the Epslion Delta system in a flash of white light.
" Scan for a gas giant with a small ice moon, the Exeter will be in a polar orbit there. " Worf says. Beka quickly scans the system.
" I have them, the ship looks to have taken quite a beating " Beka responds, moments later
As Tyr alters the Eureka Maru's course toward the stricken ship Worf speaks
" Yes, the Excelsior class starship has one of the most durable space frames that the Federation has ever designed. They have been in service now for roughly 85 years. "
Worf then simply stares out of the cockpit window of the small ship until the Exeter comes into view. The ships hull was covered in weapons impacts. The command bridge on the top of the ship had been completely gutted, the port side impluse engine looked like a black twisted heap of metal. As they got closer Worf could make out numerous hull breaches, but without the tell tale force field designed to keep the atmosphere inside the ship.
" There is a docking bay at the rear of the ship " Bashir says to Tyr quietly from the rear of the cockpit
Tyr pilots the Maru round the ship so that they can approach the docking bay. But as the bay comes into view, they can see that it has also been on the receiving end of some enemy fire. The bay doors, which close automatically whenever the ship is under battle conditions, had been blown apart, making the bay unusable.
" It looks like she was ambushed with her shields down from the front and rear at the same time " Bashir says, more to himself than anybody else.
Worf silently agreed with the young Doctor's assesment, but simply said " There should be a docking port on the port side of the lower hull that will match the Maru's docking port "
Again the small tug approached the larger vessel, damage was becoming more and more visible on the Exeter. Black marks indicating hull breaches and weapon impacts were dotted about the entire vessel. As the Maru approached Tyr noticed that the weapons array on the bottom section was hanging on, literally by there power cables.
Tyr brought the ship to docking port and they connected as quickly as possible. The docking port airlock doors rolled aside to reveal Lt Kidd waiting for them, Bashir vanished quickly into the ships interior, while two of the three nurses with him waited at the docking port to assist the wounded as they arrived. Beka stayed in the cockpit keeping an eye on sensors for any sign of the attackers, which could still be anywhere in the system.
Worf and Tyr were speaking quickly with Lt Kidd about the status of the Exeter and its surviving crew.
" Our ships complement was 450, we left base with an additional 200 marines, we had to convert the shuttle bay and two holds to accommodate them. "
At this revelation, Worf realised that they would have been sucked out when the hanger doors were breached.
" There are only 155 crew still able to stand, including the remaining marines, and we have 84 people in sick bay. They caught us with shields down and suffered a lot of hull breaches, most of our people were literally sucked out into space. All power was lost to the forward section of the ship. Power relays and conduits have blown all over the ship, we are stuck down in the engineering sections, scanners are not picking up any life signs in the neck or primary hull. "
Worf digests all he is told
" Mr Kidd, we have not been able to contact any allied vessel able to respond, this is a small medical relief ship, we don't have any engineers on board. What are the chances of the Exeter being made for warp speed ready with your current level of manpower, don't tell me what I want to hear, just the truth. "
Kidd looks relieved that Worf is happy to take command of such a wrecked ship.
" Honestly, sir, the ship is wrecked. The only thing that seems to be working is the SIF, the warp drive off -line, the ..." he is interrupted by Tyr
" What if I may ask is a SIF ? "
Kidd looks at Tyr as if he had just sprouted a second head
" The Structural Integrity Field is the field that controls hull stress. Without it the hull of our ships would simply not be able t with stand the pressure of FTL travel or battle " Mr Kidd loses his train of thought as Tyr turns and hurries into the cockpit.
Worf can hear him speaking with Beka. He returns a minute later.
" Mr Worf, Mr Kidd, I have a suggestion, the Maru is primarily a salvage vessel, it has engines a lot more powerful than most vessels of this size. We could evacuate most of your personnel except a skeleton crew here, and then attach our towing cables and get the Exeter out of here. The only gamble is would the SIF hold? "
Kidd answers straight away
" Not with our current power reserves. "
Beka's voice is suddenly heard from behind Tyr " I'll set up a power feed cable as well, but we have to break orbit in 18 minutes or there's going to be trouble. The scanners have picked up two vessels heading this way, and your database identifies them as Galor class warships. "
