[USS Chimera] SD 240909.18 || CHARLIE || Duty Log || Capt Chisulo ||

[Admiral's Bridge - EAS Hermes]

The Erassian navy was a highly efficient bunch. Of that fact, Captain Tedros Chisulo was certain. General Viktor Ivanov had planned the assault on R'Veras V down to the last detail, dotting all the i's and crossing all t's. 

The Starfleet Tactical Advisor was impressed that a man with a marine background had such a vast operating knowledge of fleet movements and fighter unit tactics, but then the General had a highly competent staff underneath him as well. Chisulo didn't count against Viktor that he was a Starfleet Marine - he was one himself once - but Chisulo hadn't received this level of planning training until after he graduated from the academy and moved up the command track. 

Chisulo monitored the movements of the Z-105 squadron as they bared down on their targets. He glanced up at the chronometer that was counting down. 

"Deploy engines make ready for warp jump to target" General Ivanov ordered from Chisulo's left.

On the platform below, the Hermes' bridge crew busily prepared for the rapid transit. "Engines Approved. Jump to Predetermined Warp in five... four... three... two... one...

jump!"

Chisulo felt the lurch as the ship entered warp, but kept his eyes on the readouts on his screen. The sensor read-outs from the Z's targets detected large explosions consistent with the munitions he knew to be present on phantom missiles - though he wasn't allowed to know much.

"The cores are destroyed, General." Chisulo reported, glancing up at Viktor. "Ghost flight is successful." The Starfleet Captain moved over to another screen just as the Hermes and her escorts dropped out of warp. Almost immediately afterward, sensors detected a large explosion where the first Romulan Defense Station was supposed to be. Moments later, the ship rocked slightly as the inertial dampeners kicked in to counter the blast.

The General was quick with his next orders, "Second wave launch." And within moments, the staff aboard the Admiral's flagship had signaled the calvary for rendezvous.

Chisulo walked behind a tactical display where visual scanners monitored one of the Hermes' escorts as it laid artillery fire into the next defense station. He walked up to a tactical readout and watches as a few warbirds on the far side of the planet maneuvered to regroup and coordinate a counter-attack. Ivanov's strategy had surprised them, and it had done considerable damage - but it looked as if the Romulans were about to attempt to retaliate.

"Three D'deridex class warbirds are regrouping in section three." Chisulo reported. He studied the progression of their formation and quickly traced a finger along  flight path as he recognized the movement from an intelligence report on Romulan fleet tactics. "They are running a feint on the Artemis - their true target is the Hermes."

[End Log]

Captain Tedros Chisulo

Tactical Advisor

SSF First Taskforce

[USS Chimera] SD 240909.17 || BRAVO || CO Log || Capt Rojac ||

[Bridge - Deck One - USS Chimera NCC 9689-C]

+Federation vessels this is Riov Reth'ah of the Falcore.+ A scarred, sharp featured Romulan Captain appeared on the screen. +You are outnumbered, stand-down and surrender.+

The Bridge went silent as Captain Rojac stood and approached the vicious looking Riov on the viewscreen. His hands were held tightly behind his back and his gaze did not waiver from the pupils of his opponent.

It was true of course, the Chimera was very heavily out numbered. Three thalaron cruisers, three d'deridex cruisers and five or more scout ships all had their targeting sensors trained on the Chimera's position. If the Chimera were to continue the engagement she would surely be destroyed and would put the entire mission in jeopardy. But one thing in the grim situation gave Rojac confidence, all of the ships were targeting the Chimera. That meant that the Eagle had not been detected, and that his "aces in the hole", Majors Cortez and Shao, were not detected either. Add to that fact that no Romulan ships had entered the nebula beyond the artificial pocket they inhabited - which meant that the Rapier had not been detected either.

Whether or not the Romulans really believed the Chimera was endeavoring alone on this mission, the Captain did not know. But he was going to play the card none-the-less. It was the onyl card he had right now.

"Riov Reth'ah," Rojac addressed the screen, "I am Captain Cropa Rojac of the Federation Starship Chimera. Your actions here in Quorum space are illegal and I must act you to imediately cease and desist your operation in this sector."

The Romulan on the screen chuckled, displaying a row of sharp teeth - not unlike those sharpened on a Klingon. +You are in no position to issue ores, Captain Rojac. And in case you were unaware - we are at war. 'Illegal Actions,' as you call them, are par for the course. Now please lower your shields so that we may take your ship and crew into custody.+

"I must decline, Riov." Rojac replied. "Surely if you were in a similar situation you would decline as well."

Reth'ah nodded. +But surely you realize that you have no choice. You must surrender or be destroyed. Are you willing to risk your entire ship and crew, Captain Rojac?"

Rojac gazed to the floor for few moments as if in deep contemplation. He slowly looked around the room with a grim expression on his face before finally meeting the gaze of the Romulan captain once again. "I will surrender on one condition, Riov."

+What condition, Captain Rojac?+

"You allow me one minute to purge our computer's records before lowering our shields." Rojac said. "I am surrendering my ship in battle, you can allow me the little honor I have to keep our ship's secrets."

Reth'ah thought it over for a moment before replying. +You have one minute, Captain Rojac. If your shields are not own - we will open fire with our thalaron arrays. Falcore out.+

The screen reverted back to an image of the flotilla surrounding them, and the young Captain turned around to address his crew.

[End Log]

Captain Cropa Rojac

Commanding Officer

USS Chimera NCC 96899-C

[USS Chimera] SD240909.17 | Duty Log | MCapt R Spiers [NPC]

[Location: Norris VIII-A]

[Time: 1245 hours, Federation Standard Time]

 

"Christ! Dammit, do you have to do that now?!"

 

"I'm sorry Captain, but if you don't sit still and let me do this now, you'll probably bleed to death before we get back to the surface."

 

Captain Ronald Spiers took in a quick, sharp breath as the medic from Third Platoon worked with a primitive set of tools to close an open gash down the Captain's leg. Moments earlier it had taken four men to hold the Company Commander to the ground as the medic removed a large piece of durasteel shrapnel from the wound.

 

The Captain had lost a good amount of blood from the wound, though he had been lucky enough not to sustain anything more serious. When the charges had detonated Spiers had been thrown up and over a large cargo container (a piece of which had become the projectile that had ended up in his leg), and aside from the shrapnel and a few bumps and bruises from other flying debris, he had been protected from the explosion itself.

 

Second Platoon, however, had not all come out so lucky. Less than two dozen of it's members had, up to this point, survived the assault. Seven members had been killed by blast from the power generator station. There were a number of other injuries, however the medic had taken care of everything he could and had them move on.

 

A moment later, between grinding teeth, Spiers asked, "What about Winters? Did First Platoon get it done?"

 

As the medic cut the piece of string that had just been threaded through the Captain's skin to close the wound, Second Lieutenant T'Shal replied from her position a meter away, "First Platoon was successful in taking the communications facility; however, they are currently under siege. Without further external support, it is a logical conclusion that they will fail."

 

"Where are those damn fighters?!" he shouted, more so from the pain shooting through his body as he was heaved from the ground than from real anger. "We were promised air support once the defensive grid was down."

 

It was Sergeant Jalanak who answered this time, "If the communications system was still operational, then it's a safe bet Winters and his gang has gotten a message out. If not, well…too bad we're not Klingons."

 

No one said a thing, but both Spiers and T'Shal raised eyebrows in the Sergeant's direction.

 

"I mean, after a fight like this I don't see any of us being denied into the afterlife."

 

With a shake of his head and slight grunt as they began to move him down the corridor, Spires called out to those around him, "Everybody needs to double-time it back to the surface. First Platoon is going to need our help, and I don't want to be late."

 

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I must refuse your order," T'Shal said, not looking at him as they carried him. "I will, of course take the remaining units to assist in holding the facility; however, it would not be permissible to allow you to participate. You are in no condition to enter combat."

 

The Captain was incensed, though he said nothing. A soldier's duty was to complete the mission, no matter the risk to his own person. He had made a career of that basic truth. And now, in the middle of a war, on a battlefield against an enemy that outnumbered his people nearly five-to-one, he was supposed to simply find a safe spot and wait for extraction?

 

Finally they came to the lift shaft that had been initially used to go down the 14 levels below the surface. With the power out the lift was inoperable, and carrying him up the shaft was out of the question.

 

Staff Sergeant sighed as he looked over at Spiers, "Looks like we're taking the stairs, sir. I hope you don't mind some exercise."

 

"A transporter would be the most preferable alternative," T'Shal interjected, already moving them towards the entrance to emergency stairwell. "However, given the lack of -any- other alternatives, the stairs will have to suffice."

 

Grunting between pain-filled steps, Spiers could not help but chuckle, "I couldn't have put it better myself, Lieutenant..."

 

=/-\= End Log =/-\=

--
Marine Captain Ronald Spiers [NPC apb DK]
Company Commander, Easy Company
2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st MEF

Second Lieutenat T'Shal [NPC by DK]
Platoon Leader, Third Platoon, E "Easy" Company
2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st MEF

Staff Sergeant Vish Jalanak [NPC by DK]
Platoon Sergeant, Third Platoon, E "Easy" Company
2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st MEF

[USS Chimera] [ALPHA] SD240909.17 | Duty Log | 2LT T'Shal [NPC] & SSgt V Jalanak [NPC] | Easy Co.

[Location: Norris VIII-A]

[Time: 1240 hours, Federation Standard Time]

 

It had been nearly an hour since the massive explosion had rocked the quiet mountain installation, leaving a gaping crater in the surface. During that time Third Platoon had been stationed inside and around the building that had supplied Second Platoon with an entrance to the underground facilities, doing their best to hold off the Romulan forces long enough for Captain Spiers and Second Platoon to pull out. Half an hour ago Third Squad had been sent into the lower levels to search for them, but there had yet to be any sign of them.

 

There was, however, a change in the Romulans' behavior. Without notice,  and certainly without explanation, the sound of disruptor fire ceased. The Starfleet Marines sat huddled behind their cover for several moments, silently looking between each other for some clue as to what was happening beyond. No one wanted to move.

 

Finally, though, Second Lieutenant T'Shal took in a deep breath and peered around the corner of the wall debris she had been behind.

 

In the distance beyond, where several dozen Romulan soldiers had been huddled just moments before, there was now only empty space. There was no sign of the local defense group anywhere in the immediate vicinity. Pulling back behind her cover the Lieutenant looked upwards at the second story of the building, where Sergeant Kilmer was looking down at her. With a questioning glance, T'Shal motioned to the empty street behind her.

 

With a shake of his head, Kilmer pointed at something in the distance, away from their location. Looking in the direction of Kilmer's finger, T'Shal understood. The Romulan forces had pulled back to focus on the communications center. Fighting over the destroyed ruins of a power generation station was a moot point; however, retaking the communications center was a much more worthy cause.

 

Were she human, she probably would have wished for the opinions of her Platoon Sergeant, who she had sent into the levels with Third Squad to look for Spiers. Her Vulcan logic, however, told her exactly what to do: one more weakened platoon would make no difference in the defense of the communications center. It was obvious that Lieutenant Winters and First Platoon had achieved their primary goal. The only thing left for T'Shal to do was to take advantage of the respite and double the search and rescue efforts.

 

"First Squad, you're on me," she called out as she pushed herself to her feet. "Second Squad, hold this position…"

 

=/-\= Level 14-Sierra =/-\=

 

Staff Sergeant Vish Jalanak had joined the service against the will of his family. The Jalanak family had become one of the more prominent families on Krios Prime in the years since the First Dominion War, and he had been tapped to become the next patriarch of the family. Of course, Vish himself never had any such desire to join the world of politics and bureaucracy. So, instead his father had guaranteed him a spot in Starfleet Academy.

 

This had done nothing but infuriate Vish, as once again he had been handed something with no effort. Instead of boarding the shuttle and heading off to San Francisco, the day before he was to leave he signed the enlistment contracts for the Starfleet Marine Corps and left for Quantico instead.

 

And even now, as he worked his way though these burnt-out tunnels on a planet that even the Great Gods had forsaken, there was no place he would rather be.

 

"I've got one, Sergeant!" called out one of his marines from further down the corridor. A moment later another shout followed, " It's Private Bullock, sir! He's alive!"

 

In moments Jalanak had crossed the distance between them and fell to a knee, "Private?"

 

A moan was released on response, "Oh…lords…that was one helluva blast." Rolling over from his stomach onto his back, with the help of Jalanak and the man who found him, Jeremey Bullock coughed dust and dirt from his mouth. His face was covered in soot and ash.

 

"Are you alright, Private? Can you get up?" Vish asked, a hand moving to the Private's shoulder. Considering the circumstances, the man looked no worse for wear.

 

In between further coughs, Bullock nodded, "Yes, sir. I'm fine. Just got my ass kicked is all." A moment later Vish was on his feet, pulling the Private up from the ground.

 

"Where's the rest of your platoon?"

 

A look of regret washed across Bullock's face as he responded, "I was leading the escape, sir. The rest will be further back down the tunnel."

 

Looking down into the smoke-filled distance, sure enough the Sergeant could see the men and women of the squad already finding other members of Second Platoon. There were others, however, that were left lying on the ground. Hopefully a body recovery team would be able to return to Norris for the downed team members.

 

"Sir! Sir!" came yet another shout from the distance. Through the haze Jalanak was unable to see who it was coming from. "Sergeant! We've found Captain Spiers!"

 

=/-\= End Log =/-\=

Second Lieutenat T'Shal [NPC by DK]
Platoon Leader, Third Platoon, E "Easy" Company
2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st MEF

 

Staff Sergeant Vish Jalanak [NPC by DK]
Platoon Sergeant, Third Platoon, E "Easy" Company
2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st MEF