Star Trek Hunter
Episode 7: The Great Mushroom
Scene 15: Time on Target

7.15
Time on Target

About a half hour later, the senior staff gathered in the main surgery.

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"I really hope we aren't setting a precedent," Justice Irons said, looking around the surgery. Tauk was propped up on one surgery table and Commander David Pepper on another. A few extra chairs had been brought into the room to accommodate remainder of the senior staff.

"Lieutenant Tauk, let's start with you. Tell us what your team has found out about the nausicaans."

Tauk cleared his throat, immediately drawing concerned looks from everyone in the room. He paused long enough to indulge in a slight sigh. "It's clear enough that the Nausicaan Collective was making a bold move to take over this colony. Pi 110 is located near two main arteries for trade routes within the Federation. It would be a very defensible position for the Collective - they could have held tens of thousands of hostages under the mushrooms and they would have established a foothold deep inside Federation territory. They also believed they would have benefitted from premonitions everyone seems to experience on Pillo."

Pep's voice was uncharacteristically soft and not as low as usual. "What I want to know…" He paused to take a deep breath. "What made the Collective so bold to think such a move would be tolerated in such close proximity to Earth?"

"Historically, this area was squarely within the Collective's patrol territory," Irons replied. "Star Fleet has only been able to strengthen our presence in this sector since the threats from the Borg and the Dominion have receded. I think the Collective was feeling strong enough to make a play to regain some of their historic territory. Thanks to Lieutenant Dolphin, that bid ended catastrophically for them. Kenneth, I would like to hear some more about these unconventional tactics you used to take down three capital ships with what is essentially a heavily armed shuttle."

Lt. Dolphin grimaced and raised his eyebrows. "Those tactics were the product of desperation and adrenaline. And only half mine. I left the shooting up to Ensign T'Lon. Her tactics were extremely creative. It was her idea to launch torpedoes without engaging their engines so that I had time to get us out of the way before they blew up. She also came up with the Time On Target use of torpedoes on the third ship."

Tauk cleared his throat. "Time On Target? I've heard the term before, but I don't know what it means."

"I'm not surprised," Dolphin responded. "It doesn't often have a use in modern combat. It dates back to the use of cannon on the battlefield. Gunners would aim their cannon very high with a sufficient charge to drop cannon balls on their enemies from above, then quickly reloaded and fired directly at the enemy. Time On Target meant the cannon balls falling from above would arrive at the same time as those coming straight across the battlefield. A devastating attack. T'Lon's use of it - having photon torpedoes arriving from several different trajectories - made it impossible for the cruiser to prevent all of them from hitting their target."

Dr. Carrera spoke up. "What I want to know is how you brought the tactical unit out of warp within a thousand meters of another ship, much less in between two other ships with less than 30 meters clearance on either side. We designed the unit with as many potentials as possible, but I don't think that was one of them."

Dolphin blushed a little and mumbled something Carrera couldn't distinguish.

Dr. Carrera turned to Tauk: "What did he say?"

Tauk's ears were the only ones in the room sensitive enough to comprehend Dolphin's Yankee mumble.

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"He said he flew it stick."

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Tali Shae turned toward Dolphin. "You did what?"

Dr. Carrera was wide-eyed with disbelief, but his voice remained calm. "You flew stick at warp speed. You came out of warp at hundreds of times the speed of light, placed that boat precisely between two heavy cruisers that were less than 100 meters apart - and you did it manually? Is that even allowed?"

"Combat flight rules provide fairly broad discretion for manual operation… As I said, desperation and adrenaline," Dolphin reiterated.

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Carrera looked at Dr. Tali Shae. "Whatever you're prescribing for him, I want some too."

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Justice Irons was shaking her head. "I have never heard of such a thing. I am quite tempted to classify that maneuver just so that a generation of cadets don't get themselves killed trying to recreate it." She turned toward her first officer. "David, how is your heart?"

"Dr. C. saved my life," Pep replied. "If he and Ngumbo hadn't tackled that nausicaan, that sword would have gone right through my heart. As it was, it was just a nasty nick. I have more surgery scheduled for the next few days. After that I should be fine. We need to talk about how many people saw Mlady biting my wound."

Carrera turned toward Pep with some surprise. "Is that what she was doing? I couldn't tell. All I could see was that she put her mouth to the wound."

Mlady, seated next to the surgical bed Pep was recuperating in, was trying not to smile, but was unable to keep from baring her fangs.

Dr. Tali Shae started, "Mlady produces an enzyme…"

Lt. Dolphin interrupted her. "We cannot tell the crew that. It would create unrealistic expectations - she can only do that with people whom she has genetically modified…"

"I am right here," Mlady said, her fangs now bared.

"Don't tell anybody anything," Irons said. "It's none of their business. If you hear any crew members asking questions or speculating about this incident, tell them it is a private matter and if they want to know more, they should ask their Executive Officer or their Operations Officer. And you can let them know that David will refer them to Mlady, so they might as well start with her."

Mlady relaxed, but looked pointedly at each of the directors, effectively sealing her privacy.

"That should settle them down," Dr. Carrera said. "Everyone on this boat should be used to unusual personal relationships by now. They may be surprised, and there will be some gossip. But we have a fairly respectful crew. There isn't a person here who hasn't had to deal with people being too nosy about their private lives."

Dolphin spoke directly to Mlady, "I apologize for being insensitive a moment ago."

Mlady gave Dolphin a long evaluating gaze. It was several heartbeats before she took a breath and quietly said, "Apology accepted."

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7.15