Distress – We have engaged the Borg
by HoD Ro' Matlh & 2nd Lieutenant Zorc Dat'oxo & Sogh Germite Ephilom & Ne' Michelle "Mike" Young & Soghla' HIchop Matlh & Soghla' Terri (Tell) Hope & Soghla' Jared & Soghla' Marie St. Helene

Post Details

Title		We have engaged the Borg
Mission		Distress
Author(s)		HoD Ro' Matlh & 2nd Lieutenant Zorc Dat'oxo & Sogh Germite Ephilom & Ne' Michelle "Mike" Young & Soghla' HIchop Matlh & Soghla' Terri (Tell) Hope & Soghla' Jared & Soghla' Marie St. Helene
Posted		Mon Sep 26, 2016 @ 2:42am
Location		Du'hop System
Timeline		15 hours after the distress call was picked up

The Fhew roared into the Du'hop system at Maximum Warp and dropped to Impulse at the last moment.

"We are picking up a Borg Cube on long range sensors orbiting the second planet," Jared reported. "We are too far away to see what is happening on the surface."

Ro' was on his feet, "Set intercept course. Shields up, weapons hot. Marines to Patrol all decks, ready for intruders. Landing parties will report to the Cargo bay for beam down."

"Weapons range in one minute."

"Once more into the breach, dear friends," Ro' muttered, "once more. We will fill this breach with our honoured dead."

“Oh, ye few, ye lucky few,” Marie replied but she did not mean it as any sort of morale booster.

HIchop adjusted the straps on his suit against his shoulders. The walking combat suit was ancient, dating from a time before the Vulcans reached enlightenment, but he had been working on it solidly for over a year and it was now even more deadly. Bulky slug projectors and ammunition had been replaced with power cells and a rotary disruptor. Ancient Servos had been augmented for speed and strength. Only the Neural feed was untouched. He felt it press into the base of his neck and the adrenaline and anger that made him Klingon, doubled in his system. He clenched his teeth against the wash of destructive desire, waiting for the moment he would be unleashed on the enemy.

Zorc had his men in teams of two, responsible for a couple of decks each; small crew and force meant they had to be ready for anything; the exception was the three person team near the Engineering Section; there he had a roving patrol of 2 and one person to guard the 'Heart of the Lady' against any attacks. There was a man at the Computer Core to maintain the protection of the computer that routed all the commands through it.

Dat Oxo himself was alone as he headed for the Bridge; the best place to know when the enemy will be at the gates; he had taken great time both on bridge and reading the wiring schematics of the weapon system and Tactical Control board. Knowing the unique nature of this ship is the only way to truly protect her. He went to the Bridge and took the tactical station to make preparations until The Master Gunner Marie arrived and he would step aside for the expert and observe her while he could get more of a feel for the tactical strengths she explained to him.

Germite found himself standing in the cargo bay preparing for beam down. He could have stayed on the FHew and worked in the Med Bay, but he was a field medic, which meant going into the field. Into whatever battle needed to be joined. He should have been terrified, but he wasn't. He hadn't really processed that they were going up against the Borg. The Freaking Borg... Would today be the day that he died? He had already not died for Matlh a hundred times, maybe he would and maybe he wouldn't. He knew he would stand and do his duty, no matter the cost.

Tell had retired to her quarters for a while. She was tired and needed a few hours sleep after preparing her beloved engine for the battle that was to come. But sleep evaded her and she lay looking up at the ceiling for quite some time. They were facing the Borg and by rights she should have been worried. In Tells eyes they were nothing but half human, half machine and machines could be broken, taken apart, put back together, recycled or dumped. She mentally thought about it. Laying out a Borg on a slab in her engineering lab. Feeling more like a forensic pathologist than an engineer, taking it's body apart bit by bit, nanites and all. Right down to the nitty grittty of it.

Tell sat up, not feeling tired anymore and her head full of ideas. She was almost rubbing her hands together in glee as she left for engineering. Smirking as usual she walked into her lab and started rearranging it. She could have been afraid but she had been afraid so many times in the past. Now she was going to use that fear to do something positive.

Looks like Tactical is all mine again, Marie thought as Dat'oxo left to see to the deployment of his troops. She busied herself checking that all systems were working properly. The Borg would give them no time to do so once they were engaged. Stupid term that, she thought. You'd think I was going to marry the bastards!

She was halfway through the diagnostic when Dat'oxo returned. “Time for your first lesson,” she said, looking up at the approaching Klingon. “Disruptors first. They've been augmented to run on randomly rotating frequencies. Don't know if Borg shields are like their personal ones but I'm not taking chances on the disruptors bouncing off after the first few volleys.”

"Confirmed." Dat'oxo said with interest, it was logical but not simple modification to the ship. "Do not waste shots, understood."

Mike waited in the med bay, preparing her gear for the coming fight, knowing that she was going to be needed, and probably sooner than she would have liked.

"Thirty seconds to weapons range," helm reported. "They have not raised their shields or powered weapons."

"They are not adjusting their trajectory at all," Ro' said. "A common trait for the Borg is to ignore anything they do not see as a threat."

The ship just hung in the screen, floating above the planet.

Ro' turned to Tactics. Lock weapons to the center part of the cube. We can't risk staying still long enough to use the Phase torpedo. When I say, unload forward photon torpedoes, maximum spread."

"Be ready for emergency maneuvers, Mr Air."

"In range in 5 seconds."

Ro' Counted under his breath.

"FIRE!"

A stream of bright dots sped away from the ship towards the Borg cube. the flight seemed to take an eternity to those on the bridge. As they waited for the Borg response.

It never came.

All ten torpedoes hit the Borg on the side, shifting its orbit slightly. The shields were not raised, the weapons were not powered up. It did not even correct it's orbit.

"Nothing?" Ro' breathed hardly daring to believe it. "Reload and fire again!"

Another stream flew from the ship and hit the Borg cube which just took the impact.

"Are we having any impact?" Ro' queried.

Jeeves, the Vetus Computer interface responded: - Sensors show they have initiated automated repair functions, but no defensive systems. They orbit is now set to decay. If they do not correct it they will hit the atmosphere in 4.72 minutes. Projected impact will bring them within 64km of the colony outskirts. -

Germite felt the Fhew shudder as the weapons fired. He braced for the inevitable return fire. When it didn't happen, a stranger thing happened, he became curious as to why the Borg weren't returning fire. He left the cargo bay where he had prepared himself for the assault and returned to the bridge.

Ro' frowned and turned to his crew, "Opinions?"

"If they have no weapons a strafing run to fire weapons to impact in a way to change their trajectory in a direction we desire and as we pass throw a tractor beam to; as humans say, nudge it a little away from the deadly impact area?" Dat'oxo suggested. "use the impacts to react in a way we need to divert it away from the colony?"

Ro' frowned, "That's a big IF. Just because they have not fired, doesn't mean they can't. And if we get close enough for a tractor beam they may still be able to use theirs."

"The ship is also 90 million cubic tons, over a hundred times more massive than us," Jared provided. "Our chances of having a significant impact on its trajectory..."

"Jared," Ro' barked. "Shut up."

"Shutting up, sir."

Ro' sat in his chair again, his eyes fixed on the Cube, "Put simply we could unload our entire payload of weapons on that thing and we would be unlikely to make much of an impact. We can't destroy it unless we let it crash on the planet. This leaves us with three questions."

"First, why would the Borg allow one of their ships to crash. Why don't they react? It is what they are most well known for."

"Two, what do for the colony? We can't beam up and evacuate everyone, and we are only a small crew to face a hundred thousand Borg who may survive a crash. They are Klingons on the surface, though. Perhaps we can still help them in their defenses."

"Lastly, and perhaps most pressing, do we send a team over to the Borg vessel while it is still in flight to find out what is going on? It requires flying in close and dropping shields for transport. A single shot from that cube could end us before we even finish the transfer."

“Going back to Jared's point,” Marie said, “just because the Cube doesn't hit a city doesn't mean it won't do any damage. It would be like a huge meteor strike. The dust would produce...what did they call it...a nuclear winter. Life would be devastated, if not outright destroyed. If we're going to 'nudge' it, better to nudge it back into a stable orbit.”

Jared shook his head, "I am scanning for life signs on the Cube, but Borg ships results are always inconclusive."

"Are they," Jeeves, the computer interjected. "Why don't you just use the red settings?"

"This isn't a Veetus ship, Jeeves. We don't have any 'Red settings'."

There was a clunk on the outside of the hull.

"We do now," Jeeves burbled happily.

Ro' began drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair, "I don't like this. The Borg are known for being reactive. They wouldn't just drift out of orbit. What's happening at the colony?"

"I am picking up small weapons fire at several locations around the settlement," Jared reported. "And definite signs of Borg drones."

Ro's frown deepened, "Why not just carve the settlement up and assimilate it in orbit like they do elsewhere? Why bother with hand to hand?"

He stood once more, ready to issue orders.

"Marie, Tell, Mike take a team onto the Cube and find out what is going on."

"Aye Sir." replied Tell "C'mon Marie. Heads up I'll be ready before you."

Ro' cointinued, "Hichop, May'bel, Zorc, Germite prepare to be dropped at the colony. Finish this battle for them."

Dat'oxo was smiling as he nodded his head, he had the weapons on him, he had set himself up with siege ammo loads and the rifle was slung over his back at the ready.

"As -you -command." He said slowly so not to be disrespectful of the Officer giving him the chance to find honor and to assure he pronouced the words correctly as he turned to exit the bridge into combat.

It was back to the fray. Germite had wasted his time coming to the bridge. The why didn't matter to him at this point, the only thing important was the what and the what was to go into battle planetside and try not to get assimilated. Germite nodded his head in acknowledgement and returned to the cargo bay to beam down.

Returning to his chair finally, Ro' said, "The rest of us will support as we can. You have your orders. Go!"