SIM:A Rogue Amongst the Stars/Chapter 8
 A Rogue Amongst the Stars |
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Chapter 8
((Starfleet Supply Ship USS Stevenson))
The boarding party beamed over in one of the supply ship’s aft compartments. As soon as they materialized, the clock was ticking. They needed to quickly disable the ship’s engines, communications, and internal sensors to begin the looting of the cargo. Their presence would soon be detected as soon as one of the Starfleet crew took a glance at the monitors of the hold.
Teller: Remember, three minutes, no more. Kara, watch the door. Mr. Li, scramble the internal sensors. Mr. Douglas, begin tagging the high-value cargo crates for transport. I’ll handle the ship's systems myself.
Kinan: ::sarcastically:: ‘Aye-aye sir’.
Douglas: ::to himself:: This is a bad idea . . .
Li looked over at his shipmate and shrugged as he went to work hacking into the Starfleet vessel’s computer systems.
Li: Come on, mate, you always say you want more of a challenge.
Teller: oO This is a terrible idea. Oo
Teller invoked the ships primary status display from the console and quickly went to work ‘disabling’ the ship, as planned. As he began working his way past the basic security of the cargo ship, a smile crept on to Teller’s face.
Teller: oO I should not be enjoying myself this much. Oo
((Bridge, USS Stevenson))
On the bridge, Lt. Commander Shon, an Andorian in command of the cargo ship, watched as his helmsman began plotting the new course following the recalibration.
Helmsman: Continuing course onward to Antor, sir.
Shon: Excellent. Engineering, perform a final systems check, and we’ll get underway.
As his small bridge crew completed the last checks before the ship would re-enter warp, one of the junior officers piped up from a rear console.
Ensign Z’brah: Sir, I’m getting some unusual readings from the life support systems. Shows we’re suddenly producing enough atmosphere to support 4 or 5 additional people.
The Andorian captain glanced over at his ops officer, who shrugged when the internal sensors reported nothing.
Shon: ::sighs:: Go check it out, ensign. It’s probably a damn faulty seal again.
Z’brah nodded before heading down to the cargo compartment but the captain called out before he left.
Shon: Take Biros with you, just in case.
The young crewman nodded before joining the ensign.
((Cargo Compartment, USS Stevenson))
Li looked back at Douglas impatiently.
Li: What’s taking so long?
The other pirate shook his head as he looked over his handheld device.
Douglas: I can’t crack the door code.
Li: Really? You can scramble a Klingon bird-of-prey’s sensors, but you can’t get past a simple door?
Douglas: This is a *Starfleet vessel*! You think a simple cracking tool is going to break an up to date *military door*-
Kinan: For Etamoa’s sake- *get out of the way*.
The small Trill shoved the legitimate pirate out of the way, fed up with waiting on incompetence. She pulled the door panel off (even though she could just punch in her override code but hey, why make this easy right?) and performed a surprisingly effective door override.
Teller: Well done. A minute forty on the clock. Let's get the cargo moving. I’ve rigged their engines to fail in 5.4.3.2………..
Li exchanged a grin with Finley. Maybe this could be the start of a new collaborative venture. He quickly moved in and began helping Douglas start tagging nearly every container in sight.
Li: ::gesturing to Kara:: She’s brilliant.
Douglas sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, whacking Li across the chest as they made their way into the cargo hold.
((Bridge, USS Stevenson))
As the ship turned onto its new course, the engines briefly flared before flickering out of existence. The warp drive had gone offline and every alarm on the bridge began blaring at once.
Lt. Commander Shon: What the hell is going on? =/\= Shon to Z’brah, we just lost engine power. What did you do? =/\=
Ens. Z’brah: =/\= Wasn’t me sir, I’m just outside the main cargo compartment now. =/\=
As the heavy doors parted, the ensign thought he saw something moving deeper in the cargo bay and patted Biros on the shoulder. The other crewman drew his phaser and began jogging forward as Z’brah tapped his combadge which had stopped responding.
Z’brah: =/\= Z’brah to Bridge….Z’brah to Bridge, we’ve got intruders on board! Does anybody hear me? =/\=
((Bridge, Pirate Raider))
Crawford sat in his command chair, the Starfleet ship still in front of them, blind to their presence. His crew was waiting for the signal from Finley, which would be when the cargo ship’s engines flamed out. Only then could they begin transport.
He glanced over at the Trill woman he’d taken as collateral, who likewise was still observing the Starfleet ship. He could see the gears turning as she watched. It was a look of someone more than just a… what had Finley said?
Crawford: So you’re a physical therapist?
The woman didn’t look back at him.
Crawford: Hmmph...
He rolled his shoulders back, turning slightly in his chair.
Crawford: You know, I’ve had this pinch in my back for the last couple of months...
Rahman: ::still looking at the ship ahead:: Maybe you need to steal a better chair.
There was a pause before he let out a laugh, but his attention quickly returned to the Starfleet ship as its engines lit up with a brilliant flash before darkening. Green trails of plasma began leaking from its nacelles as it started drifting.
((Cargo Compartment, USS Stevenson))
As the pirate crew continued tagging the loot further into the hold, cargo containers around them began disappearing as the raider’s transporters took hold.
Li: ::laughing as he continues setting transport tags:: We’re going to be able to buy a whole new ship with this haul!
Douglas: Forget the ship--think *bigger*!
Kinan rubbed at her eyes, a headache forming.
Kinan: And what, dare I ask, is bigger than a ship?
Douglas: Entire *outposts*-
But the man’s answer was cut off as a phaser blast hit him square in the chest. From across the compartment, two Starfleet officers had stumbled upon the heist.
Biros: =/\= Bridge, this is compartment 3. We’ve got intruders aboard- =/\=
Li had quickly grabbed his rifle after he saw Douglas fall down and sprinted through the maze of containers to shoot the asshole who’d taken down his shipmate. Meanwhile, though Ensign Z’brah found one of the other pirates and was holding him at the end of his phaser.
Z’brah: Don’t move!
Teller: You’re making a mistake, Ensign. An entirely justifiable mistake.
Z’brah: Shut up! I said don’t move!
The ensign tapped his combadge again.
Z’brah: =/\= Bridge, come in! =/\=
But there was only static on the other end. As Z’brah looked down briefly, he thought he saw the pirate try to advance at him, and he fired a shot past the man’s head, hitting the wall behind him. The phaser was shaking as the ensign held it in his hands.
Continue to Chapter 9