Yeager:Eighth Mission - In the thick of it
In the Yeager's eighth mission, the crew is sent on a search and rescue mission into the Rockport asteroid belt. The vessel Rilidam, from the Democrative Romulan Republic, carries a key player in keeping the tensions between the DRR and the Romulan Star Empire from boiling over. The only problem? A Krynar battleship appears out of nowhere.
Captain's Logs
Capt Julia Nielson
Stardate 21206.21
Captain's Log, Stardate 21206.21
Captain Julia Nielson Recording:
The Yeager has been tasked with a search and rescue operation. We are responding to a distress call from a vessel from the Democratic Romulan Republic, the Rilidam. The ship was carrying DRR diplomat Arrhae Jo'rek; finding her is of the utmost importance, as her presence has had a calming affect on the tense relations between the DRR and the Romulan Star Empire.
The Rockport Belt is know for being a dangerous region of space. The Yeager was chosen for this mission due to our being one of the few vessels small enough to navigate the asteroid field. Our superior sensors will also give us the added advantage of cutting through the muck and interference caused by the dense field.
We are currently launching probes and recalibrating the sensors to help pick up any signs of the Rilidam.
Stardate 21207.24
Captain's Log, Stardate 21207.24
Captain Julia Nielson recording:
The two probes we launched into the Rockport belt have helped in triangulating the position of the Rilidam. We were able to pick up a faint signal from the disabled ship. However, the denseness of the belt has made navigation tricky. We have since lost both probes, both not making it through close calls with asteroids.
Unfortunately we have since been ambushed by the shard ships. As we were en route to the Rilidam, a large black hole opened up before us. The Yeager was pushed back from the sudden force of it all. Then suddenly we were face to face with a large, round vessel - it was similar to what the Yeager fought against at the Battle of Sierra-18. There were also thousands of shard ships littering the asteroid belt. The vessels opened fire, and then before we knew it, the large vessel and the majority of the shard vessels were gone again.
More than a dozen vessels still hung about. One thing that's refreshed our memories of Sierra-18 is that the shard ships easily out-gun the Yeager. We're working on alternative ways to defend ourselves as we slowly make our way out of the asteroid field.
During the fight we lost the Rilidam's signal, but have since found traces of it. We're currently seeing if we can reach the Rilidam without drawing the attention of the shard ship's to the stranded Romulan vessel.
Stardate 21208.20
Captain's Log, Stardate 21208.20
Captain Julia Nielson recording:
Our first plan to attempt to flee the shard ships included an em pulse from our deflector. Unfortunately it didn't have the affect we were looking for. The shard vessels only seemed to pause momentarily before resuming their attack on the Yeager. Curious that such a strong force of electromagnetic radiation had no affect on the ships whatsoever. It leads me to believe the shards don't use power transfer in a manner that much of the Alpha quadrant does. If we could get our hands on an intact vessel I would love to see what their warp and energy dynamics were. Unfortunately, when one of the vessels is damaged to a certain degree, it appears they self destruct.
Our next plan was to increase the debris field, thus making it more difficult for the shard ship's sensors to have their shots ring true. While it has increased the murk in the asteroid field, our sensors have been given a bit of a boost which has aided in keeping a lock on the Rilidam.
With some time bought, we managed to make our way to the Rilidam. It appears to have been severely damage, to the point where life support is almost gone. There are three life signs readable, and as such we are about to begin rescue procedures.
Stardate 21209.20
Captain's Log, Stardate 21209.20
Captain Julia Nielson recording:
The natural radiation of the Rockport Belt made it difficult for the Yeager to get a proper lock on the three life signs aboard the Rilidam. Our Chief Science Officer was able to reroute whatever remaining auxiliary power he could to transporters; enough that we were able to boost the signal and get a clean lock. The Romulans were taken to our temporary sickbay for treatment, though at this point their conditions are critical but stable.
Our respite from the Krynar was only short lived. They managed to catch up to us. Though we were attempting to flee, with our energy reserved so drained we found ourselves quickly losing the upper hand. Our Chief Engineer had laid a plan to try an anti-graviton pulse, and had stored up energy reserves to launch such a pulse.
Unfortunately our systems were overtaxed, and the activation of the pulse seems to have shorted out our systems. A huge explosion rocked its way through the ship, causing extreme damage to the ship. All systems appear offline aboard the Yeager except for life support. I can only hope the anti-graviton pulse made it to its target before we lost power.
We also managed to get a signal through to a ship, though their reply was still undecipherable through the radiation.
Stardate 21210.02
Captain's Log, Stardate 21210.02 Captain Julia Nielson recording:
The USS Austin arrived in time to see the Yeager break through the Rockport Belt, with several shard vessels on our six. Fortunately the anti-graviton pulse that shorted out all the Yeager's systems managed to also knock out most of the Krynar vessels. The Austin easily handled the rest.
Captain Gideon then contacted us and graciously offered the Austin's services. Our three Romulan survivors were beamed to the Austin's sickbay and are now in stable condition. One is confirmed as being Ambassador Jo'rek.
Unfortunately it seems no matter how many miracles myself and Gylanna's engineering team can work, the Yeager suffered several huge blows that took out many major systems. I'm not one who gives up easily when it comes to an engineering challenge, but it seems I need to leave the Yeager in the hands of the Corps of Engineers. Maybe we'll get lucky and Ty Clarke will be leading our refit team, which in that case I'll have to poke my head in during the work. Not that I wouldn't keep an eye on my ship anyway, but how could I not harass my old friend?
Crew Logs
Engineering
CE Lt Kralton Gylanna
Stardate 21208.05
Chief Engineer's log, Stardate: 21208.05
Lt. Kralton Gylanna, begin log.
We have been ordered to a search and rescue mission to save the Rillidam which was carrying an ambassador. As we flew into an asteroid belt, the last known location of the Rillidam, our sensors could no longer pick up an ion trail. With a couple of probes we detected an ion trail, but one of the probes crashed against an asteroid. Later the Yeager was hit by an energy wave that caused some damage to the shields and an outer hull breach on Deck 2.
We discovered that the energy wave was caused by the appearance of several shard ships, the same ships that we encountered at Space Station Sierra-18 prior to its destruction. Soon those ships opened fire and the battle began. I attempted to disable them with an electromagnetic pulse but all it did was made them stop for a moment before the continued their barrage.
After a few more quick scans I was able to find that their power systems seem to be graviton based.
End log.
Stardate 21210.01
Chief Engineer Lt. Kralton Gylanna Stardate: 21210.01
Unbelievable that the Yeager needed to be towed back to a space station again. One would think that such events occurring over and over again would indicate that the ship is in need of a refit, but no, this ship is very ill equipped to handle what tends come our way. After learning the enemy ships systems were graviton based I whipped up an anti-graviton burst.
But that wasn't the end of our troubles, far from it. I was not ordered to use it right away, and instead we make our way through the asteroid field attempting to destroy what few ships we could by shooting debris. The shard ships had no shields so the destruction of the ships themselves wasn't particularly difficult, but like ants they overwhelm you with numbers. They focus all of their energy on destruction and nothing but.
Eventually we made it to the Rillidam and were able to get the three remaining survivors on board, but this is where things started taking a very serious turn. After the transport, the transporter burst into flames, requiring both myself and the midshipman manning the transporters had to use manual fire extinguishers because I was forced to reroute power from all secondary systems to boost the shields. Both they and I suffered major second and third degree burns. Once that situation was over I asked for security to transport the injured to the mess hall, because sick bay had suffered a rather serious hull breach, I made my way back down to engineering, but we were still not at the end of our troubles.
As I arrived back in engineering, consoles were blowing out left and right, injuring several engineers, including a good friend and colleague, Ensign Laura Hansen. She was an excellent engineer, quick learning, intelligent... brilliant really. She noticed a slight misalignment in the frequency of my anti-graviton burst and managed to implement it before she wound of taking an injury that would knock her unconscious.
The same console explosion that had enough concussive force to knock her unconscious delivered numerous pieces of shrapnel into my back, nearly immobilizing me. Then, I was finally ordered to activate the anti-graviton burst, and then, as Murphy's Law would suggest, the worst happened. The ship shuddered and stung like a bee, ripping itself apart as I fired the burst. Fires broke out all over engineering and other places as well, and consoles all exploded simultaneously.
When all was said and done the ship was a sitting duck, once again requiring a tow. Not to mention I lost four engineers because of the event, and several more have requested transfers. They want to go to a ship that is a little less... exciting. I can't say I blame them. Laura Hansen and Zoltan Ram didn't need to die. They were two of the finest engineers that I had ever seen, and I was looking forward to seeing their careers blossom. Now I have to inform their families that they won't becoming home on shore leave. Laura was looking forward to having some of her mother's soup. Zoltan was due to get married soon.
All of this might have been avoided. I don't know for sure, but I do know one thing, I will be looking forward to shore leave being over.
End log.
Mid Johnathon Garrow
Stardate 21210.07
"Midshipman Garrow's log stardate 21210.07 begin log. Although my experience on the Yeager wasn't as much as the others on this mission, I can already see she is a ship who shouldn't be put to much battle. As maneuverable as she is, maneuverability is no substitute for raw power. The USS Yeager is unfit for anything but a scout. If a scout goes dirty, then she would need to be armed. It is illogical for a scout ship to be armed with only phasers. However, under the circumstances, lets forget the phasers and focus on the mission."
"When I first boarded the Yeager, I wasn't sure what to expect, I had hoped for instance that it would be in one piece. Unfortunately, my luck has never been so. When boarding the Yeager, I could immediately see the ship was in shambles. From what I could hear over the communications, the gravity plating was malfunctioning, power was fluctuating on various decks, and the bridge itself was barely together. I could imagine in my mind the button in the loop of a pair of pants when the button is still on by a single thread."
Against all odds though, my commanding officer Gylanna managed to fix the situation and destroy our enemies abilities. It is strange, the first time I go on a real mission my ship is almost destroyed and me with it. I never imagined my life could have been so possibly short, but as a Vulcan, I must keep my mind open to such options. End Log."
Medical
CMO Lt Alexa Rydell
Stardate 21209.01
Chief Medical Officer's Log, Stardate 21209.01
Lieutenant Alexa Rydell, recording:
My sickbay is a disaster area. Unsalvageable, or so I would guess. While searching for the Rillidam, the Yeager took what I presume to be enemy fire, causing a breach in Sickbay. This breach collapsed the ceiling, and damaged several bulkheads. I have no information regarding our attackers.
A large amount of supplies are unreachable. A good portion of my alpha staff are missing, presumed dead. Those who aren't are injured, myself included. A temporary sickbay is being set up in the mess hall, but with only the supplies from the cargo bay we're going to be hard pressed to do much more than stabilize until we get to a starbase.
I want to punch whoever stocked the medical supplies on this damned ship.
I keep thinking about...well, just thinking whether or not this attack is the start of another war. I don't know. Maybe it's just a fluke. But I don't know that I can take doctoring Starfleet through another war.
...but that's irrelevant to the matter at hand. I just need to keep the medical department running until we can get back to a Starbase. That at least I can do.
End recording.
Stardate 21209.30
Chief Medical Officer's Log, Stardate 21209.30
Lieutenant Alexa Rydell, recording. Begin:
I'd like to commend the medical staff of the USS Austin, for their excellent handling of the utter mess they were presented with. Ironic, that my old ship should come to rescue my new one.
Engineering manged to get the Romulans from the Rilidam. They are currently unconscious in the Austin's sickbay, and I am told their condition is stable.
Everything we had in sickbay is going to need to be replaced. I'm going to ensure that we are entirely stocked, and that there are back-ups in the cargo bay, before the Yeager even thinks of leaving Delta. We'll probably be there for awhile, given that Sickbay needs to be overhauled.
I lost one medical staff member, and two medical/support techs, making the casualty count from Sickbay three. Three sounds small, but for a crew as small as the Yeager, it's damn steep.
Three lives is damn steep no matter where you are.
Ensign Ohmsford performed extremely well under pressure, in spite of the rather severe injury he received. I have recommended that he be promoted. My own performance was adequate. As adequate as it could be given the broken bones. When sickbay is refitted, I'm having that desk bolted to the floor. Double bolted.
I have been informed that the ships that attacked us were the same kind of ships that destroyed Sierra-18, shard ships. My fears that we may be on the brink of another war gain strength. I fear that war will follow us wherever we go.
End recording.
Ens Pheral Ohmsford
Stardate 21209.28
Personal log. Stardate 21209.28. Ensign Pheral Ohmsford, recording.
I have always been...adaptive. But recent events, and I am considering everything since the Chin'toka mission, have shown me just how inadequate I am. I do my job well enough, I have friends, but since joining Starfleet, I realize that I am still living vicariously through my past, which is strange as I do not keep in contact with my father or my extended family like I promised.
I will make amends for that.
But for now, I must tend to myself. My right leg which had sustained a sizable injury is doing quite well. I will use my next shoreleave to recuperate. There are several medical seminars on Starbase Delta and a nanotechnology course on Risa that I may attend, and I may even indulge my scientific curiosities.
I am not sure what happened to the Yeager, other than that it is in bad shape after rescuing those Romulans. But I will personally oversee the stocking of its medical supplies this time. We were caught off guard, and I will not allow that to happen again.
I am also going to request an auxiliary sickbay, or at least some form of contingency should the main Sickbay be destroyed again. The mess hall and cargo bay were grossly inadequate for our needs. I wonder if I still have those refit plans...
I fear that we will be seeing those Inquisition ships again soon.
Computer, end log and save.
Science
Lt Trever Cole
Stardate 21209.28
Chief Science Officer's Log, Stardate 21209.28
Lieutenant Trever Cole recording. Begin log:
What seemed like a relatively simple mission, turned out to be anything but. The Rilidam was stranded in the Rockport Belt. The intense natural radiation made detection very complicated. To make matters worse, a Krynar ship blinked in and out of the belt, leaving behind a good number of shard ships. The ships pursued the Yeager. I was able to clean the sensors enough to get a reading on the Romulan ship. With the help of engineering and the transporter crew, we were able to get the three survivors aboard.
All that remained at that point was to get to freedom. But the shard pursuit almost proved too much. With almost every system failing on board, we cleared the belt and with Lt Gylanna’s brilliant anti-graviton pulse and some help from the USS Austin, the remainder of the shards were dispatched.
On a personal note, I am not sure how well I am adapting to my new position. It might not have been my best decision, but I am going to stick with it for now. I will see when I get back to Delta about a reassignment in case the Captain’s review of my latest performance is less than adequate.
End log.
