Chapter Title: All Systems Go
Chapter Synapses: While at Deep Space Six picking up a compliment of Marines, the Hyperion crew takes temporary control of the USS Enigma a new Transworp ship, to hunt for the Delphinous and prevent the war.
Written by: Seraph Koji
Previously…
"According to these data logs, the Federation is at war." Phral read, "The log is damaged, I can't tell who we're at war with."
"Commander Collins has found something in the log files. A reference to the race that is at war with the Federation." Phral informed Starwind, "They call themselves the Krenim Imperium."
"Whatever act precipitated this war, Shran did it. Delphinous attacked someone for some technology and it blew up in the Federation's faces." Talara recorded in her log.
"Hail Delphinous!" Starwind screamed, "Shran,. There's too many cubes. Do not engage. Fall back to the Federation fleet."
"No response."
"Suit yourself." Starwind hissed.
And now, the continuation…"Welcome to Deep Space Six, Captain." A half-Ktarian male marine welcomed Starwind, "I'll be the commanding officer of Hyperion's compliment of marines."
Starwind glanced at the man's collar. Green in color with a rank pip indicating his rank was Major. "Thank you, Major…?"
"Major Aldrino Lakaikai Keriasso." The marine gave his name.
"Major Keriasso." Starwind nodded,
"Also, Commodore Kerrigan is here, she wanted to meet with you." Keriasso reported, "She's in the wardroom."
"Thank you, Major." Starwind left the docking platform.
"Captain!" A woman with an Admiral's uniform sat at a table. However, she only had one pip on her bar, indicating the rank of Commodore. She sat in the station's Wardroom, at the end of a moderately lavish table. Already seated at the table were Collins, Sen, Phral, Talara, VonBach, and an ensign Starwind did not know.
"Commodore." Starwind sat at the opposite end of the table.
"I have a mission for you." Kerrigan said, candidly, "Not Hyperion, just her senior officers."
"Commodore?" Collins rose an eyebrow.
Kerrigan stood up and tapped a display panel, "This is the USS Enigma." She explained, "It's the latest in Federation Deep-Space Tactical vessels."
"With all due respect, it looks like a normal Excalibur class." Phral interrupted.
Kerrigan pressed a few keys, "Looks are deceving, Chief." The display zoomed in on the warp core, "Notice anything?"
"What's that?" Talara pointed to an odd protrusion around the dilithium chamber.
"That, Lieutenant, is why you're here." Kerrigan explained, "Captain Starwind, after you engaged the Borg, we had Captain Smade lead a salvage operation. We were overjoyed when Stragger brought back a Transwarp Coil."
"Are you saying…?" West asked.
"Enigma is a Transwarp ship?" Starwind said in shock.
Kerrigan nodded, "And she needs the crew that has hunted down Delphinous."
"Even if you can break the Transwarp threshold, Slipstream is so much faster." Talara said, unconfident.
"Unless we use Borg transwarp conduits." Kerrigan said, confidently, "We knot of several small networks of Borg conduits, as well as an exit aperture near the last known location of the Delphinous."
Starwind shook his head, "Still, why us? Wouldn't there be dozens of crews better suited for this mission?"
"Victor, you happen to know all classified data about the Krenim War, including the data on Delphinous. There is no other crew for this mission." Kerrigan explained, "So, let's get that ship moving!"
"Who do we leave in charge on Hyperion?" VonBach asked.
"I'm sure Commander West is more than capable of commanding Hyperion as she sits still."
"Then let's do it!" VonBach said eagerly.
"I'd love the chance to tinker with a Transwarp Drive." Phral seconded.
"We're in, Commodore." Starwind stood, "Let's see this ship of yours."
Enigma's bridge was slightly larger than Hyperion's, but felt far more open and bright. Starwind wasn't sure why. Commodore Kerrigan sat at the central chair of the bridge, "Starwind, you'll be my first officer. Dorian, take Operations. Talara, helm."
Starwind sat beside Kerrigan, "Initiate pre-flight sequance."
"All departments, give me the go-ahead." Kerrigan ordered.
"Tactical?" Starwind asked.
"Go flight."
"Engineering?"
"Go flight."
"Helm?" Starwind proceeded to call off each department, then turned to Kerrigan, "All systems are go, Commodore. Collins, hail D.S. Six. Tell them to release docking clamps, we're heading out."
Kerrigan shot him a glance in reprimand, "Remember whose ship this is, Captain."
"Sorry, ma'am."
"Talara, set course for Transwarp aperture located at the pre-loaded coordinates." Kerrigan ordered.
"Course laid in. Preparing to enter a Transwarp conduit." Talara replied, loving the opportunity to pilot again.
"You all might want to hold on." Kerrigan warned. The image of space on the viewer was replaced by the image of a blue… thing. Almost wormhole-like. Shortly ahead was a metal ring around the corridor.
"It's Borg, Commodore. It has interphasic shielding. It would take effort to dent it." VonBach gave a tactical summary,
"It's maintaining the heightened velocity of this conduit, Commander. Denting it would be bad." The dark-skinned ensign responded.
"I've been meaning to ask, Ensign, what is your name?" Starwind asked as they passed through the ring.
"Noah Lessing."
"Well, Ensign Lessing, I should warn you, Joseph has shot people for showing him up like that. Tread lightly." Starwind smirked.
"Commodore, not to doubt you, but how are we sure we aren't chasing wild geese here?" Collins threw out a hint of doubt.
Kerrigan stared intently at the viewer, "They took heavy damage from the Borg,"
"Can we outgun them?" Talara asked.
VonBach scoffed, "Do you know me, Blue?"
"Approaching target aperture." Collins reported.
"Red alert." Kerrigan ordered, "We're going to come in fighting, Mister VonBach. Disable her Slipstream Drive."
"Aye." VonBach nodded as the lights across the bridge fell and red lights replaced them.
The ship shot into normal space and torpedoes began flying.
"Direct hit. Slipstream dive is off-line." VonBach cheered.
"Hail them." Kerrigan stood up, "This is Commodore Jessica Kerrigan of the Federation starship Enigma. Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded."
Shran appeared on the screen, "I outrank you, Commodore. And you're firing on a fellow Federation vessel. That's a crime, you know."
"So are treason, Grand Theft Spacecraft, several counts of robbery, violation of the Prime Directive, violation of Starfleet General Orders 12 and 15, violation of the First and Second Kithomer Accords, and murder. Incidentally, these are the charges against you, Admiral." Starwind added.
"Captain, I should have figured." Shran scowled, "Starfleet General Order 24; 'If a commanding officer deems that an individual or group of individuals pose a threat to Starfleet personnel or Federation civilians, he may take any action deemed necessary, including force, to secure the safety of those threatened.' And there are a lot of threats."
"Sorry, Shran." Kerrigan motioned for VonBach to fire, "Not buying it."
"Then we fight, Commodore. Delphinous out." Shran closed the channel.
"VonBach, target the impulse manifolds." Starwind ordered, "Delphinous has a cloaking device, if we can get her to leak plasma…"
"Firing photon torpedoes." VonBach reported, "Not much damage. What I wouldn't give for Hyperion's Rail Guns."
"She's cloaking." Collins reported, "I can't track her."
"Torpedoes, full spread!" Kerrigan yelled in frustration.
VonBach pounded his console, "No impact."
"Damn!" Kerrigan stared at the screen, "Where are you, Admiral?"
"I have an idea." VonBach said, "I'm lowering our phaser strength to 75 percent, widening the dispersion field, and firing all phasers."
"Shoot everything?" Starwind asked.
VonBach nodded, "Exactly."
"Do it." Kerrigan ordered.
Phaser fire seemed to erupt from every plate of hull of Enigma, filling space around the ship.
"Got you, firing quantum torpedoes." VonBach cheered.
"Delphinous is losing shields." Collins reported.
VonBach was ready to run, "I'll beam over and arrest Shran."
Kerrigan nodded.
"Wait a minute!" Lessing interrupted, "Reading a massive energy build-up from Delphinous, Commodore."
"What the hell?" Starwind stared at the ship, which began glowing.
"I can't lock weapons." VonBach said, frantic.
Collins shook her head, "I can't scan them."
"What is going on?" Kerrigan said in shock, "More stolen technology?"
"I've never seen this before." Talara said, "Who'd he steal it from?"
"Reading a spike in the upper EM band." Lessing provided further data.
"Oh, my God!" Kerrigan stood up.
Delphinous glowed brightly, then blinked out of existence.
"Report, Ensign Lessing!" Starwind said forcefully.
Lessing looked over his computer terminal, "I'm reading Thalaron radiation."
"Thalaron?" Starwind asked, "Thalaron is illegal."
Kerrigan walked over to the terminal, "It also can be used to maintain an interphasic cloaking device."
"Interphasic?" Collins asked.
"The Federation has experimented with interphasic cloaking before and failed. The Pegasus materialized inside an asteroid." Starwind said, shocked.
"We never used Thalaron." Kerrigan responded.
"What was that glow?" Talara asked.
Lessing's answer for this was equally unsettling, "Admiral Janeway's Transphasic Armor, they must use it to protect their ship from the Thalaron discharge, or because they can't use their shields while cloaked."
Kerrigan sat back in her chair, "Damn. He has new tricks every time he's engaged." She sighed, "Talara, set course for the Transwarp Conduit."
"Captain's Log, stardate 57728.1. I've returned to Hyperion from my time serving with Commodore Kerrigan. It seems that the Delphinous is even more dangerous now, equipped with our Transphasic Armor, and, more chilling, the Thalaron-powered Interphasic Cloak. The fact that Delphinous is still at large means the Krenim War is still on the horizon."
