2315.Q1.M1.F2
A bit of fortune to start the campaign: the USS Winterwind was leading part of ka'Sharren's task force into the Utracca System to hit a convoy waystation connecting the Arcadians to the Laio. The Winterwind was able to detect a cunningly masked minefield in time to narrowly avoid plowing into a mine. Under orders to protect the fleet's heavy elements, they have pulled back, and the Commodore will attempt again after moving on to other outlier targets in the interim.
[QM/N: Lol, when I ran it a second time to test some logging improvements the Winterwind blew up outright and the Liberty also hit a mine.]
Near-Death
Utracca System
January 11, 2315
The USS
Winterwind arrived in the outer debris disk of the Utracca System in a flash of light, interstellar dust and gasses moved like water by the deflector dish as the ship slowed to sublight speeds.
"Within one kilometer of the expected arrival coordinates," reported Commander Iekn, ship's XO. His black eyes darted up from his arm-chair console as he grinned, "Captain, I believe that means Lieutenant Omirri deserves some praise." At the front of the bridge, the mentioned Fiiral navigator shuffled slightly in her seat.
Taggart gave her XO a small shake of the head and suppressed a smile of her own, "Commander Iekn's got it right," she said, "Looking at preliminary telemetry we did even better than Captain Sokolov's guy on the
Liberty."
Omirri raw a claw along the top length of her snout, a gesture everyone on board had learned was the Fiiral equivalent of a blush. "Thanks, ma'am, sir."
"Although maybe we shouldn't be so quick with our praise, Commander," Taggart said, looking at a PADD an aide passed to her, "I figure Lieutenant Omirri has an unfair advantage with that extra pair of arms-- appendages, my apologies."
Omirri chuckled with a series of sing-song whistles, "No problem - and very true, ma'am!"
Taggart smiled briefly, before her face dropped back into neutral composure. "Red alert." She said as she stood up, clasping her hands behind her back, and turning her head slowly to look each member of her crew in the eye, "Now it's time to get down to business. The Licori are known for their love of mines, and y'all need to remember mines precipitated one of our most devastating losses..." Her eyes rested for a moment on Lieutenant Commander Xolten, the Vulcan who manned the tactical station, "...when the USS
Courageous struck one. Our mission may involve hitting a trade way station, but every second we are in this system we are in combat. Understood?"
There were nods all around the ship.
"Good." She sat down in her chair again, "Conn, put in course Alpha. Science, be on maximum alert."
"Maybe if we're lucky, instead of finding mines we'll find a scientific discovery -- that doesn't involve toilets for once," muttered Iekn.
***
A few hours later and the
Winterwind's shadow was running across the southern pole of the gas giant Utracca-VI, the planet a dusty red shot through with clouds of cream and blue. The second-outermost planet of the system, it's abundance of moons made it a solar system in miniature. Iekn was on his feet, walking around the perimeter of the bridge, taking the time to peer over shoulders. Taggart remained in her seat, having been as still and implacable as a glacier the entire mission.
"Waystation's up ahead, ma'am." Science Officer Kader reported, "It's orbiting and on Utracca-Six-Four. Based on visuals, it looks like a space tether from moon facilities to an orbiting dock, Captain."
Taggart nodded, "Enemy vessels?"
"Difficult to tell," reported Xolten.
"The interference we're using to mask our approach is also making it hard for Tactical to get a clear picture." Kader said.
"There appears to be at least one military-grade dock, covered to obscure sensor and visual inspection," Xolten said, as Iekn stood behind him, looking at the outputs with interest. "It can accommodate one of their cruisers, but it is not possible to determine if anything is inside at this time."
Taggart nodded, "We'll angle the saucer sensor pallets more directly on the target and lose some of the interference. Omirri, fix us on a new heading towards the equator, and increase relative altitude by a kilometer."
"Aye-aye."
The swirling clouds of Utracca shifted below them slightly as Omirri accelerated the
Winterwind, leaving its polar storm behind them. Seconds ticked by, Kader's eyes glued to her screen the entire time, Xolten watching the sensor feed on the dock while keeping a hand near the flash-startups for the phaser and torpedo controls.
"Bridge," That was Lieutenant th'Endev, her chief engineer, "
Winterwind's antimatter stores are showing a small magnetic misalignment. Nothing we can't adjust for, but given how critical it is, I thought you should--"
"OMIRRI -- BACK US OFF!" Everyone on the bridge started as Xolten shouted, spinning in his seat and leaping to his feet. Taggart snapped her head towards him, mouth opening in rebuke as the ship shuddered with Omirri's reflexive course correction. But Iekn was holding his hand in a subtle 'wait' gesture, peering at Xolten with interest.
The Vulcan tugged his uniform down, taking a moment to smooth it, before tearing his eyes away from the screen. He nodded apologetically at Taggart, "I am sorry for my outburst, Captain. I was highly insubordinate, but I believe that was necessary."
Taggart raised
her eyebrow at Xolten, "I'm hoping for the sake of your career you have an explanation, Mister."
"Yes." He walked to the back of the bridge, towards the master display, and tapped at the antimatter pods, "On the
Courageous I was part of the engineering team. Right before we were hit by the mine, we experienced a similar anomaly in our antimatter pods. I believe, but was never able to prove, that it is because the mines used some sort of magnetic homing device."
"Does that mean the Syndicate might have supplied the Licori with mines?" Iekn mused.
"That's for someone else to figure out." Taggart's eyebrows furrowed, "They'd need a lot of power to have an effect on us at this range. So why haven't we detected it?"
"Ma'am?" Kader said. Taggart nodded at her. The science officer gestured at the magnetosphere display at her station, "We'd have lost it in all the interference
we're using to hide. But if a localized source was pointing our way and pulling some of our magnetic units out alignment, the antimatter pod and injector sensors would have picked it up. They have to be ultra-precise because any change in function because if there's any failure point--"
"Boom." Taggart said, her mouth a thin line of displeasure, "Kader, cross-reference with Engineering and determine if there
is a mine." She glanced at Xolten, "You'd better be right, or we might have just blown our cover."
"It's there!" Kader said, "Had to make some major adjustments for the magnetic and some of the exotic elements U-Six here is made up of. Mine is in the upper atmosphere, suspended from balloons."
Xolten took his seat back at Tactical. He glanced at his screen and reported, He tapped, "The mine itself is housed in a launcher and equipped with a one-use booster and powerful magnetic clamps. Operational range should be in the area of half-a-million kilometers." Xolten paused, "Antimatter payload is equivalent to one of our storage pods."
It was something of a morbid rule of thumb at the Academy that if an incoming payload of antimatter was measured in 'storage pods', you had best make peace with your time in the universe.
"How close?" Taggart said, interrupting, turning towards Kader and leaning forward in her seat.
"To -- the mine activating? It'd be kinda hard to--"
"Lieutenant. How close?"
Kader swallowed and turned to her console, fingers flying as she made calculations. She stopped, "Based on the strength of interference, I would say -- one hundred, ma'am. Meters."
The bridge was silent, and even Xolten seemed to go slightly pale. In interstellar terms that might as well have been in the same room as them.
"Looks like you're getting a commendation instead of a reprimand, Commander Xolten." Taggart said after a moment, loosening her jacket. "Lieutenant Tarkam," that was the Ops officer, "Hail the US-- U
ES
Liberty. There'll be more of these."
"Aye, ma'am." The Indorian replied.
Seconds later the viewscreen was showing the blue-lit bridge of the
Liberty, Captain Sokolov front and center, "Captain Taggart," she said, "I hope you have good reason to be breaking the communication silence."
"Captain Sokolov, looks like we found the expected minefield." Taggart replied, "I'm shooting you information now on a mine we just detected. I'm thinkin' they'll be coming up at you at the North pole as well."
Sokolov's eyes flew over the data on her end and she nodded, "Sensors, analyze the gas layer for these devices." She nodded at Taggart, "Using the
Winterwind's sensor adjustments." There was a bustle of activity on her end, and seconds later an officer called out his report.
"Captain Sokolov! We're looking at… four mines on our immediate trajectory."
"Thank you, Specialist." Sokolov said coolly, "Captain Taggart, I believe this minefield has made this mission impossible to complete safely. Do you concur?"
"I do."
"Then
Liberty and
Winterwind will irradiate the mines we have spotted with our deflector dishes for future identification. This will no doubt reveal ourselves, so we will make a hasty exit." Sokolov crossed her arms, "Disappointing the possibility of mines being located in the gas giant was not reported. I was told to be expecting them placed in-between orbital tracks of the moons."
"It would be highly unprofessional of me to complain about Starfleet Intelligence in front of the representative of a member fleet and her crew," Taggart said, her lip were push together.
"So I won't!" She added abruptly, and with false cheer.
Sokolov gave her a wry grin, "Of course. I am forwarding you our planned exit vector. Get out safely, da?"
"
Da. See you over yonder." The viewscreen blinked off. Taggart waved at Kader and settled back into her chair, "Do as the good captain instructed and then Omirri -- get us the hell out of here."
"Aye aye!"
A beam of green light shot out from the tiny speck in front of Utracca-VII that was
Winterwind. Then, it turned, impulse engines glowing bright red, before it launched off into the stars with a flash.
